Azinger: PGA should form Ryder selection committee

• By Ryan Lavner
• Dec 12, 2012 10:26 AM ET

About two months ago, Paul Azinger told outgoing PGA of America president Allen Wronowski that his organization needed to “pick a guy who they thought could help them win” at the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Reportedly, that guy is Tom Watson. He will be introduced as the next U.S. Ryder Cup captain on Thursday morning.

But Azinger has other ideas that could help the Americans be more successful in the future, beyond the pod system or weighting points more toward the Ryder Cup year or adding captain’s picks. He thinks the PGA should form a selection committee of former players and captains to determine the next Ryder Cup captain.

“I believe now that the Ryder Cup is a dangerous place for our players and our captains,” he said Wednesday on Golf Channel’s “Morning Drive.” “It can define your legacy.

“We see the PGA of America once during an off-year, at the PGA Championship. We don’t know who they are. I just feel like more participation is needed at this time, that they need to get the players more engaged in the process, embrace the players more, and I believe there should be a small committee put together like they do in Europe.”

Azinger, who successfully led the Americans to a lopsided victory in 2008 at Valhalla, did not lobby for the 2014 position and said Wednesday that, “I don’t really have any interest in being the captain again at this time.”

“It’s a razor-thin edge between winning and losing these matches,” he added. “The captains can get the guys prepared, create an environment for success, deliver a message. But come Friday, there’s not a whole lot you can do. Wipe your hands of it, step back and hope they play great.”