US Ryder Cup captain Love named President Cup aide

04 March 2015 06:16

Davis Love, the 2016 US Ryder Cup captain, was named Wednesday as an assistant to US captain Jay Haas for this year's Presidents Cup at Incheon, South Korea.

The American squad has won its past five meetings with the Internationals team of non-European players and owns an 8-1-1 overall edge in the rivalry entering its first staging in Asia on October 8-11.

Love was captain of the 2012 US Ryder Cup squad that suffered its greatest last-day collapse ever, allowing Europe to win the trophy at Medinah, but will have a chance at redemption in next year's Ryder Cup at Hazeltine.

Love joins Fred Couples as an assistant to Haas. Couples was captain for the past three US President Cup triumphs.

Also Wednesday, Internationals captain Nick Price named fellow Zimbabweans Mark McNulty and Tony Johnstone as captain's assistants, joining South Korea's K.J. Choi in that role.

Serving as an assistant to Haas as he did to Couples on the 2013 Presidents Cup team will help Love as he analyzes American talent looking ahead to the Ryder Cup.

"I'm ready to help Jay and the team as much as I can," Love said. "Jay and I were successful as assistants for the last Presidents Cup in 2013, and I am very excited to join him and the US team in South Korea.

"I love being in the team room and positively impacting the US side any way I can. As the season progresses, I look forward to playing with some of the US team as I still play on the PGA Tour quite a bit."

Love, a 20-time US PGA Tour winner whose lone major title came at the 1997 PGA Championship, joins Couples as an assistant to Haas. Couples was captain for the past three US Presidents Cup triumphs and Haas assisted him in 2013.

"Having Davis back as an assistant is a huge positive and makes a lot of sense," Haas said. "He has vast experience that we can call upon. He will be my eyes and ears out on the PGA Tour, which will be invaluable."

McNulty and Johnstone both assisted Price when he guided the Internationals in 2013, an 18 1/2 to 15 1/2 loss at Muirfield Village.

"As an assistant captain in 2013 I was privileged to experience the competition from a different perspective, which I thoroughly enjoyed," McNulty said. "I really am honored and I look forward to helping Nick and the International Team win the trophy in South Korea."

Source: AFP