USA: HAL SUTTON HAS BEEN NAMED CAPITAIN OF THE 2004 U.S. RYDER CUP TEAM

Record ID: 640585

  • Title: USA: HAL SUTTON HAS BEEN NAMED CAPITAIN OF THE 2004 U.S. RYDER CUP TEAM
  • Date: 24th October 2002
  • Summary: BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS,UNITED STATE. FILE (REUTERS) TIGER WOODS IN TEAM PHOTO WITH 1999 RYDER CUP TEAM WOODS PRACTICING
  • Embargoed: 8th November 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA3QY69PSG3CSH305TM56LXR2P3
  • Story Text: Hal Sutton was named captain of the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team on Thursday by the PGA of America at the Oakland Hills Country Club, the venue for the match against Europe.
    The 44-year-old Sutton has played in four Ryder Cups, including the winning 1999 side at Brookline and the team that lost at The Belfry last month. The Louisiana native also participated in the 1985 and 1987 matches. His record in four Ryder Cups is 7-5-4, including one win and one loss at The Belfry.
    Sutton, a winner of 14 tournaments on the PGA Tour, plans to play a full schedule next season. He will be 46 when the Ryder Cup comes around. Sutton also made it clear that world number one Tiger Woods will be the focus of his leadership.
    "I would like to challenge Tiger to look at Jack Nicklaus' Ryder Cup record (17-8-3), and let's go after that one, too,"
    said Sutton. "Jack understood the passion of the Ryder Cup and what it was like to play."Tiger's the greatest, if not the greatest one of the greatest players that we've ever seen in the game. And he's going to bring that game out this next time, I assure you."
    Sutton also answered criticisms about the lack of passion some have taken note of in the American squad.
    "In no way do I want anyone to have the impression that the American players are not passionate about winning the Ryder Cup. Let's face it, everybody wants to knock the Americans off, you know, and they get pretty intense about doing that.
    We need to be just as intense to make sure that that doesn't happen."

    Factbox on American Hal Sutton, who was appointed captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup for 2004 on Thursday: 1958: Born: April 28, Shreveport, Louisiana 1980: Wins the U.S. amateur championship 1981: Turns professional 1982: Named PGA Tour rookie of the year after winning the Disney Golf Classic, the final event of the season.
    1983: Wins his first major title at the U.S. PGA Championship by one stroke from Jack Nicklaus, having led for all four rounds at Riveria.
    Also wins the Players' Championship at Sawgrass on his way to clinching the U.S. order of merit title.
    1985: Wins St Jude Memphis Classic and Southwest Golf Classic before making his Ryder Cup debut at The Belfry in central England, where he won 1-1/2 points from a possible four as the U.S. lost for the first time in 28 years.
    1986: Wins Phoenix Open and Memorial Tournament.
    1987: Plays in his second Ryder Cup at Muirfield Village in Ohio, this time winning three points out of five as Europe triumph by 15 points to 13.
    1995: Ends a nine-year victory drought by winning the B.C Open, firing a closing 10-under-par 61 -- the lowest final round by a U.S Tour winner since Johnny Miller in 1975.
    1998: Wins TOUR Championship at East Lake for his 10th career PGA Tour title, edging out Fijian Vijay Singh at the first extra hole.
    1999: Secures 13 top-10 finishes on the U.S. Tour, including a three-stroke victory at the Canadian Open. Helps the U.S. to victory in the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline with a 3-1-1 record.
    2000: Clinches his second Players' Championship at Sawgrass after going head-to-head with Tiger Woods and also wins the Greater Greensboro Classic.
    2001: Wins the Houston Open to lift his season's earnings over the $1 million mark for the fourth consecutive season.
    2002: Struggles with his game and misses 15 of 25 cuts before representing the U.S. in the 34th Ryder Cup at The Belfry.
    Wins one point in two matches as Europe triumph by 15-1/2 points to 12-1/2. Appointed U.S. Ryder Cup captain for 2004 at Oakland Hills, Michigan.
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