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Davis Love III speaks during a press conference. (Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images / January 20, 2011) |
If the 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup team reflects its captain, the American players will be passionate, warm and articulate, quick to laugh and even quicker to cry. And smitten with both Chicago and Medinah Country Club, the host of the biennial event.
Davis Love III displayed all those qualities Thursday at Medinah when he was introduced formally as team captain.
"Since this has been such a well-kept secret," he joked at the outset of his news conference, "I'll go ahead and tweet the news, get that out of the way."
Love called the Ryder Cup the "biggest golf sporting event in the world," and he has perspective after competing in six (1993, '95, '97, '99, 2002, '04). He also served as an assistant captain to Corey Pavin in October in Wales, where the Europeans eked out a one-point victory.
Love said his "No. 1 mission is to get the Cup back" — and he's counting on Chicago sports fans to help during the Sept. 28-30 event.
"I don't think we could have a better home-field advantage," he said. "Hopefully we can grab some of this Bears momentum and energy."
Several Chicago sports greats greeted Love on Thursday at a reception in downtown Chicago. The roster: Scottie Pippen, Ernie Banks, Dan Hampton, Denis Savard and Paul Konerko.
Love, 46, also is tight with fellow North Carolina Tar Heel and Medinah member Michael Jordan, saying: "I know we'll at least get some great course knowledge because he has played this course more than anybody on the team."
Love added: "I may have to get Coach (Mike) Ditka to help me with motivational speeches."
And Love said of Medinah, the site of three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975 and 1990) and two PGA Championships (1999, 2006): "Medinah is iconic to major-championship golf. You don't have to say Medinah Country Club in Chicago. You just say, 'Medinah.' It's like saying, 'Augusta' or 'Pebble Beach.'
"You know where it is, what it looks like and who won there. And that's to our advantage. We really don't need to send Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Jim Furyk out here to figure out the golf course."
In an interview with the Tribune, Love said he "basically" was offered the captaincy nearly four months ago in Wales.
Love said his wife, Robin, told him: "If they offer you the Ryder Cup in Chicago, you're taking it. I want to be in Chicago."
So does the captain, who will strive to earn enough points to make the team as a player.
"To be able to play in front of passionate Chicago sports fans," he said, "you don't want to start crowing about it and have that be a detriment come the matches, like, 'Oh, they already think they're going to win.' But it will be a big home-field advantage. Just like the Bears would rather play here than Green Bay.
"I could sit here for an hour and tell you all the reasons Medinah and Chicago will be so good for our team — the thousands of members here, the club, the clubhouse, the golf course, the passionate golf fans. I played a U.S. Amateur here at North Shore and Skokie, and it seemed like one of the biggest tournaments I ever played."
Love, a 20-time winner on the PGA Tour, said he will be a supportive, easy-going and focused captain.
"I'm not going to tell the best players in the world how to play golf," he said. "I'm not going to read their putts. A good leader knows he has a great team."
He also promises to be emotional. Love fought back tears Thursday when talking about his father, Davis Love Jr., a longtime PGA professional who died in a plane crash in 1988. Love also got choked up when talking about European captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who edged him out for the 1999 Masters.
Love recalled how Olazabal brought a special Spanish wine to serve at the Masters' Champions Dinner in 2000, and he gave Love some leftover bottles.
"It'll be a tough competition," he said. "(But) on Thursday we'll be friends, and Sunday night we'll still be friends."
tgreenstein@tribune.com
Davis Love III displayed all those qualities Thursday at Medinah when he was introduced formally as team captain.
"Since this has been such a well-kept secret," he joked at the outset of his news conference, "I'll go ahead and tweet the news, get that out of the way."
Love called the Ryder Cup the "biggest golf sporting event in the world," and he has perspective after competing in six (1993, '95, '97, '99, 2002, '04). He also served as an assistant captain to Corey Pavin in October in Wales, where the Europeans eked out a one-point victory.
Love said his "No. 1 mission is to get the Cup back" — and he's counting on Chicago sports fans to help during the Sept. 28-30 event.
"I don't think we could have a better home-field advantage," he said. "Hopefully we can grab some of this Bears momentum and energy."
Several Chicago sports greats greeted Love on Thursday at a reception in downtown Chicago. The roster: Scottie Pippen, Ernie Banks, Dan Hampton, Denis Savard and Paul Konerko.
Love, 46, also is tight with fellow North Carolina Tar Heel and Medinah member Michael Jordan, saying: "I know we'll at least get some great course knowledge because he has played this course more than anybody on the team."
Love added: "I may have to get Coach (Mike) Ditka to help me with motivational speeches."
And Love said of Medinah, the site of three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975 and 1990) and two PGA Championships (1999, 2006): "Medinah is iconic to major-championship golf. You don't have to say Medinah Country Club in Chicago. You just say, 'Medinah.' It's like saying, 'Augusta' or 'Pebble Beach.'
"You know where it is, what it looks like and who won there. And that's to our advantage. We really don't need to send Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Jim Furyk out here to figure out the golf course."
In an interview with the Tribune, Love said he "basically" was offered the captaincy nearly four months ago in Wales.
Love said his wife, Robin, told him: "If they offer you the Ryder Cup in Chicago, you're taking it. I want to be in Chicago."
So does the captain, who will strive to earn enough points to make the team as a player.
"To be able to play in front of passionate Chicago sports fans," he said, "you don't want to start crowing about it and have that be a detriment come the matches, like, 'Oh, they already think they're going to win.' But it will be a big home-field advantage. Just like the Bears would rather play here than Green Bay.
"I could sit here for an hour and tell you all the reasons Medinah and Chicago will be so good for our team — the thousands of members here, the club, the clubhouse, the golf course, the passionate golf fans. I played a U.S. Amateur here at North Shore and Skokie, and it seemed like one of the biggest tournaments I ever played."
Love, a 20-time winner on the PGA Tour, said he will be a supportive, easy-going and focused captain.
"I'm not going to tell the best players in the world how to play golf," he said. "I'm not going to read their putts. A good leader knows he has a great team."
He also promises to be emotional. Love fought back tears Thursday when talking about his father, Davis Love Jr., a longtime PGA professional who died in a plane crash in 1988. Love also got choked up when talking about European captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who edged him out for the 1999 Masters.
Love recalled how Olazabal brought a special Spanish wine to serve at the Masters' Champions Dinner in 2000, and he gave Love some leftover bottles.
"It'll be a tough competition," he said. "(But) on Thursday we'll be friends, and Sunday night we'll still be friends."
tgreenstein@tribune.com