Tom Watson defends 'oldest captaincy' controversy in Ryder Cup
The 64-year-old is the oldest to be appointed a Ryder Cup captain on either the USA or European teams since Sam Snead, who at 57 captained the United States in 1969
Tom Watson yesterday defended his “oldest-ever” USA Ryder Cup captaincy controversy at celebrations at Gleneagles to mark a “Year to Go” to the next Ryder Cup in 2014.
Watson at 64 is the oldest to be appointed a Ryder Cup captain on either the USA or European teams since Sam Snead who at 57 captained the United States to a draw at Royal Birkdale in 1969 to retain the trophy.
Watson, who first captained a USA Team in 1993, has brushed off claims that he is too old.
The Kansas-born eight-time major winner said: “The way I’ve answered that question is that age is not an issue at all because the players that will be on … my team; our team, they know that I’ve been a player on the Ryder Cup.
“They know I’ve been a captain of the Ryder Cup. And they know that I know that they know, and that’s all that matters.”
At Gleneagles Watson called on the tournament organisers to do away with the practice of “wild card” picks for future Ryder Cups.
While Watson has taken the step to reduce from four to three his “wild card” picks he surprised PGA of America president, Ted Bishop, who travelled to Scotland with Watson, in calling for abandoning the notion of “wild card” picks altogether.