Reports: Davis Love III will be 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup captain
Davis Love III will get a chance to avenge the “Meltdown at Medinah.”
According to a report by Golfworld’s Tim Rosaforte and a tweet from former PGA of America president Ted Bishop, Love will be named 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup captain on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Love was the 2012 captain, and his team performed well for the first two days in Chicago, building a four-point lead heading into the final day. However, the Americans lost the Ryder Cup, succumbing to a record European charge somewhat inspired by captain Jose Maria Olazabal and his relationship with the late Seve Ballesteros.
Bishop, who became PGA president months after that loss, reached out to Tom Watson about returning as Ryder Cup captain after a successful turn in 1993 — the last time the United States has won the biennial matches on foreign soil. Watson’s second run as captain bordered on total failure, as the U.S. lost by a five-point margin at Gleneagles for the third consecutive time in the series. The five-time Open champion’s style also rubbed many of his players the wrong way, with Phil Mickelson speaking out in the moments after the American defeat to NBC and media gathered in Scotland.
The resulting fallout led to the creation of an 11-man Ryder Cup Task Force by the PGA of America, charged with auditing the entire U.S. approach to the matches, including selecting a 2016 captain, developing a succession plan and assessing how the American team should prepare the week of the matches. Love is a member of that group.
It was thought three-time victorious Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples was the favorite for the job, especially when the 1992 Masters champion confirmed he had been contacted by the task force about the opportunity. Other names had been floated, including an early populist movement to bring back winning 2008 captain Paul Azinger, the last man to lead the U.S. to a win in these matches. Love’s name did not appear at the top of many speculative lists of potential candidates.
Love will know his opposition on Wednesday, when the European Tour is expected to announce Darren Clarke as their 2016 captain for the matches at Hazeltine National in Minnesota.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
