Davis Love III’s Ryder Cup plan for U.S. is simple one

Davis Love III’s plan for winning the Ryder Cup back is simple: Do the work, then get out of the way.

An emotional and enthusiastic Love was introduced Thursday at Medinah, Ill., as the next captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, an honor he said he has been thinking about for years. The 2012 matches are some 18 months away, but Love has already started thinking about the little details that could reverse the Americans’ recent Ryder Cup woes. Europe has won six of the last eight matchups, including a victory in October in Wales.

“I’m a players’ captain,” he said at Medinah Country Club, where the 2012 matches will be held. “I’ll try to get them what they need to be successful. I’m not going to tell the best players in the world how to play golf. I’m not going to read their putts. I’m going to stay out of their way and let them show their talents.”

Love’s appointment was hardly a secret, and he joked that the first thing he wanted to do was post the official news on Twitter. But he is serious about his passion for the new job. He already has talked with PGA and Medinah officials about course setup. He has thought about the qualities he wants in his vice captains and who might be suited for those jobs. At dinner Wednesday night, he and wife Robin spent part of the time looking at the ballrooms and imagining how they could be configured for team meeting rooms.

“My main mission is to get my players prepared to play on Friday morning like they do every other week during the year,” Love said. “If there’s any problem the American team has ever had in the seven Ryder Cups I’ve been involved in, it is that we just try too hard.”

Agassi headed to Hall of Fame

Andre Agassi announced that he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, telling hundreds of students at a prep school he runs in Las Vegas that tennis has given him much more than eight major titles.

“Tennis has given me everything in my life,” he said. “It’s given me my wife — it’s given me my life’s work by allowing me the resources to build this school for you.” Agassi, 40, is married to Steffi Graf, who entered the Newport, R.I., hall in 2004. He will be inducted July 9.

Goran Ivanisevic

Andruw Jones agreed to a $2-million, one-year contract with the New York Yankees, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. … Left-handed reliever Javier Lopez and San Francisco agreed to terms on a one-year contract for $2.375 million. … The New York Mets signed outfielder Scott Hairston and finalized a one-year deal with right-hander Chris Young.

Charl Schwartzel took a one-stroke lead at the Abu Dhabi Championship with an eight-under-par 64 in the first round at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The South African had nine birdies — eight in the first 12 holes — and led Padraig Harrington by one shot.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s uncle and trainer took a plea deal to avoid trial and jail time in a Las Vegas domestic battery case. Roger Mayweather pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor battery charges. Clark County District Court Judge Valerie Adair sentenced Mayweather to a year of probation, 24 weeks of domestic violence counseling, community service and a $1,000 fine.

A former University of Toledo football player pleaded guilty to a gambling charge as part of a point-shaving scheme at the Ohio school. Adam Cuomo said he regularly spoke to a Detroit-area gambler and discussed whether the Rockets would beat the point spread.

The Colorado Avalanche will be without left wing Tomas Fleischmann for the rest of the season after one blood clot was found in each of his lungs.

Austrian skier Hans Grugger had surgery for a brain injury after crashing during a training run for Saturday’s men’s World Cup downhill on the demanding Streif course at Kitzbuehel, Austria. The Austrian ski federation said Grugger had neurosurgery and his response over the next 24 hours would indicate how critical his condition was.

Arcadia senior Ammar Moussa was named the Gatorade cross-country runner of the year in California. Moussa won the individual Division I state championship for the second consecutive year. He also placed fourth in the 5K race at the Nike Cross Nationals, helping Arcadia become the first California team to win a national cross-country title.

The L.A. Lights Rhythmic Gymnastics Invitational, one of the largest rhythmic gymnastics meets in the nation, will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Culver City.