Paul Azinger reacts after getting the ‘inside scoop’ on Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup pairings, ‘I told him that’

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Keegan Bradley would love nothing more than to be as successful as a Ryder Cup captain as Paul Azinger, with the 2008 event at Valhalla proving to be a real turning point for Team USA.

Paul Azinger had an extremely difficult task on his hands heading into the 2008 Ryder Cup. Europe had won the previous two events by a scoreline of 18.5-9.5. Azinger also could not call on the number one player in the world, with Tiger Woods missing the Ryder Cup through injury.

But it proved to be a fantastic week for the Americans. Europe won just one of the five sessions in Kentucky, going on to lose 16.5-11.5. It was the first time since Brookline that USA had won the Samuel Ryder trophy.

Azinger’s plans for the week seemed to play a crucial role in setting the stage for the victory. He divided his team up into three groups of four. None of his pairings across the week involved picking players from two different groups.

So there are not many better voices for Keegan Bradley to listen to ahead of Bethpage.

Paul Azinger issues his verdict on Keegan Bradley’s plans for Bethpage

Bradley probably gave little thought to what he would do if he was the Ryder Cup captain before his appointment was announced, given where he is in his career. But he seems to have given everything to ensure that he is lifting the trophy on that Sunday in New York.

And speaking on Straight Facts Homie, Azinger outlined how impressed he has been by Bradley.

Initially, he spoke about some of his own planning that he did before the event in 2008.

“Prior to getting there Monday, I had talked to every player at great length, guys like Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink. It was Stewart Cink’s first Ryder Cup, Anthony Kim’s first Ryder Cup, and I explained to them the Navy SEALs’ concept to team building which was to take a large group and break them into small groups and get them to bond. And that was going to be my strategy in that I was going to put them together by like personalities,” he said.

“And so, they all knew when they arrived that that’s what I was going to do. But nobody else knew it, the caddies didn’t know, and the wives didn’t know, and I thought it was critical because that’s a team, the player, their caddie and their wife, that’s a three man team also. So I thought it was important to be in on it, and I was able to re-establish with authority what we were going to do that week and there was no questions.

“I wrote Cracking the Code and some of the quotes from some of the players in Cracking the Code, Jim Furyk said that ‘for the first time ever, I went to a Ryder Cup not so much concerned about my game, but concerned about how I could make the players around me better’, which was Boo Weekley, JB Holmes and Kenny Perry. And Stewart Cink said ‘it was a weird experience because I never saw anyone else on the team hit a shot but the three guys I was paired with until my match was over on Sunday’. And that’s how it was. It was structured and it probably was the most structured Ryder Cup ever.

“I don’t think Keegan’s going with that philosophy, but I still kind of like what Keegan’s doing. I have a little bit of the inside scoop. What we did I don’t know will ever happen again.

“Keegan’s looking for guys with a lot of guts. He has some pairings in mind that I think are going to work. I like how he’s going to play Bryson.

“I think it’s critical for them to win the first morning. I told him that, you have to win the first morning. Everything you do should be in an effort to win morning number one.”

How important the opening session of the Ryder Cup has proved to be since 2002

Given how passionate the crowd is going to be in New York, it really does feel as though momentum is going to be even more important than usual.

So Bradley will probably agree with Azinger that a fast start is particularly significant. Certainly, either side dominating the session could be pivotal.

Seven of the last 11 Ryder Cups have seen the team that has won the opening session go on and win the trophy.

In that time, no away side has recovered from losing the opening session.

So if USA can get some red on the board early, Luke Donald will have his work cut out as he looks to become the first away captain to win since Jose Maria Olazabal.