PGA Decides Not to Use the Tiger Buddy System

Most of his hair is already gone, so he doesn’t have to worry about losing any more of it.

Welcome, Tom Lehman, to a battle you won’t win, a job that bites back and a race after which there isn’t going to be anyone waiting to throw his arm around you.

This is the cheery assessment of what it’s probably going to be like for the new captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, that underachieving bunch who set a record for futility six weeks ago at Oakland Hills in Michigan, losing by its widest margin in history.

The PGA of America appointed Lehman to the job and introduced him to the membership Wednesday at the group’s annual meeting at Amelia Island, Fla. It was probably the warmest reception he’s going to get, at least until after the 2006 Ryder Cup matches at the K Club in Ireland are over.

Lehman’s audience in Florida was glad to see him, but then they’re happy to see anyone who thinks he can put an end to a Ryder Cup slump that now includes three defeats in the last four matches, seven in the last 10, and the United States’ most lopsided drubbing.

So, enjoy yourself, Tom.

As far as popularity goes, Lehman seems to be well-enough liked in the locker room, at least as a player. And as a captain in the team room? As usual, this is where it’s going to get a little tricky.

The fact is, it’s all about Tiger Woods, even if he doesn’t say so himself, and the selection of Lehman instead of Tiger’s personal choice of Mark O’Meara is sort of surprising, because no one saw it coming, especially Woods.

Tuesday, when it was leaked that Lehman would be the captain instead of Paul Azinger, Larry Nelson, Corey Pavin or O’Meara, Woods wrote on his website that he thought Nelson or possibly O’Meara might get the job.

Woods said a little later, at the Tour Championship, that he would have no problem playing for Lehman, which is the correct thing to say, something he has had plenty of practice saying. Woods said much the same thing when he played for Tom Kite at Valderrama in 1997, for Ben Crenshaw at Brookline in 1999, for Curtis Strange at the Belfry in 2002 and for Sutton at Oakland Hills in September.

The difference is that he really could have meant it if O’Meara had been the choice, and this is where the problem is with Lehman and the PGA of America. Lehman isn’t O’Meara, thus he isn’t Tiger’s choice and Tiger is the key to the whole deal for the U.S.

Getting Tiger interested was the first thing on Sutton’s mind. He relied on Woods as the No. 1 player, just as the other captains had. But Woods’ Ryder Cup record is less than average, 7-11-2, so something isn’t clicking, although he insists he’s always pumped for the Ryder Cup.

Nothing against Lehman, who is 45 and will age rapidly once the matches in Ireland get closer, but the PGA of America should have picked Tiger’s guy, O’Meara, thereby wrapping the top player tightly in a warm security blanket.

If no one is more vital to the U.S. team than Woods, and the PGA of America is really serious about reversing this losing trend in Ryder Cup, then it sounds like a good idea to do whatever he wants.

If Tiger wants to choose the team uniforms, let him. If Tiger wants to drive the team bus, let him. If Tiger wants to pick his playing partners, let him. If Tiger wants Hootie and the Blowfish to perform at both the opening and closing ceremonies, let them. If Tiger wants to pick the captain, let him.

It’s not as if things have been going so great, is it? There doesn’t seem to be much to lose in trying the Tiger rules.

There has been a lot of hand wringing and analysis of why Woods doesn’t have a better Ryder Cup record, but the fact is, he was built to win major championships, to focus only on his game, to block out everyone and everything else. This isn’t to say Woods isn’t a team player, because he certainly is, but Tiger’s toughness is most pronounced when he’s on his own, because that’s the way Earl Woods conditioned him.

In the Ryder Cup, it’s all about camaraderie and hanging out and walking together down the fairways and signing autographs for the fans during practice rounds ... at least that’s the way the Europeans have played it and their approach hasn’t caused any problems, except for the U.S. team.

Woods said Sutton was “fiery” and Kite “conservative” and expects Lehman to be somewhere in the middle. As for O’Meara, he would have been Woods’ fishing buddy. Maybe Lehman can make O’Meara a Ryder Cup assistant captain, get out the poles and the boat and put Tiger behind the wheel, because that’s where he needs to be.

Sometime, someone has to understand that.