Ryder Cup: Solid Steve Stricker bids to bring balance to a volatile US mix

Ryder Cup captains Steve Stricker and Pádraig Harrington speak to the media at Whistling Straits this week. Picture: Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Steve Stricker understands he’s a head scratcher. He doesn’t fit the traditional American model of Ryder Cup captain. He never won a major. He’s not a likely Hall of Famer. He’s not a fire-and-brimstone motivational speaker.

But when the American blueprint for the Ryder Cup wasn’t delivering desired results match after biennial match, they drafted a task force to rethink the model. Stricker is the culmination of what Team USA believes a captain should be, and he brings more to the table that might be apparent at first glance.