Azinger will not return as Ryder Cup captain

The United States will name a new Ryder Cup captain on Thursday after Paul Azinger revealed he will not be standing for the role.

Azinger, who guided the Americans to a 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 victory over Europe in September, told Golf Digest that he will not be the captain of the US team in 2010 at Celtic Manor in Wales.

“All I can say is that it’s not going to be me,” Paul Azinger told the magazine. “You’ll find out who it is on Thursday.”

Azinger was widely praised for breaking the Europeans’ stranglehold on the Cup, leading the Americans to their first victory since 1999.

For that reason, there was sentiment that Azinger may return for the next Ryder Cup but today’s announcement quelled that notion.

Among the leader contenders to be named captain is Corey Pavin, who was an assistant under Tom Lehman for the Ryder Cup in 2006.