Azinger plots Louisville charm offensive
The United States captain does not want a repeat of the 2004 matches at Oakland Hills, when European visitors put the home fans to shame with their fervent backing of Bernhard Langer’s victorious team. To that end, Azinger has also strongly hinted he could send out Kentucky’s own Kenny Perry and JB Holmes as the first pairing when play gets under way in the 37th Ryder Cup Matches this Friday.
“I’ve thought about what am I going to do with those two guys; should I put them together, should I keep them apart,” Azinger said last night.
“You know, I’d like to put them off first match out to be honest with you and get this crowd rocking.”
Azinger said he had already seen a glimpse of the hometown support Holmes and Perry could generate
“I’ll tell you one thing,” he said. “On 13, the tee is all the way back, and honestly, I’ll just tell you I don’t know if we’re going to move the tee up on 13 or not. The tee is all the way back on 13, and I believe the hole is 328 or 330 (yards) to the front of the green, and JB Holmes flew it right on the green, and the crowd went absolutely crazy.
“That was just kind of a dose of what we could be in for, and I look forward to it.”
The American skipper also revealed plans for the build-up to Friday’s opening matches, and he said he was delighted with the support his team had received during Tuesday’s first official practice session at Valhalla Golf Club.
“We actually are loving our gallery. I want to treat them like they’re going to be our 13th man. We’ve got little lapel pins that we’re passing out to the crowd that has the American flag on it and the Ryder Cup.
“We’re tossing them to the crowd, and they’re loving that. They’re screaming for more pins. We only have 10,000. That might not be enough.
“We’re going to do a pep rally Thursday night on Fourth Street (the city’s main entertainment area).
“The City of Louisville is putting it on, and we’re going to come down there and blow tee shirts out of guns to the crowd, stuff like that. We want to embrace this crowd. We don’t want what happened in 2004 to happen again. The Europeans are already requesting sharpies on the tees and stuff like that, so I know what they’re trying to do.
“I feel like the people of Kentucky have made me their own. I love this town and I love this state, and I couldn’t think of a better place for us to be. I know it’s going to be an energised crowd, so to that point we’re going to embrace them and try to get them energised.”
Azinger did stress he was not inciting rowdy behaviour at Valhalla.
“All the while, the message is certainly always going to be to maintain a certain level of sportsmanship. We don’t want anybody out of hand. Of course there will be alcohol served and of course there may be some minor cases, but we are engaging the crowd.”
