Former captains reflect on own Ryder Cup experiences

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Despite losing the Ryder Cup while he was captain, Curtis Strange enjoyed the competition and has many priceless memories.

They know what it's like to face a room full of the world's best golfers and have to inspire them to set aside their individual approach to golf for one week and come together as a team.

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Captain Tom Kite (center) talks to Mark O'Meara (left) and Tiger Woods during the Ryder Cup in 1997.

They know how tough it is to make captain's picks or set pairings. They even know what it's like to lose the Ryder Cup, to face the criticism, a dozen disappointed players and the subsequent what ifs.

Tom Kite, Curtis Strange and Mark James have all held the Captain position at some point in the past two decades of Ryder Cup competition. While they won't be in the shoes of Paul Azinger -- in the case of Americans Kite or Strange -- or Nick Faldo -- in the case of European James -- this time around, they will be thinking about their Ryder Cup days often during the biennial challenge.

Kite competed for the Ryder Cup seven times, starting in 1979 and ending in 1993. He performed well for his country each time, amassing an overall record of 15-9-4. In fact, the Texan nearly made his own squad when he was captain in 1997 after finishing in the top-10 three times in majors that season.

Unfortunately, his own team didn't fare as well as he had that year. They lost by one point to the Europeans -- the final score was 14 ½ to 13 ½ -- at Valderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain.

"I guess what stands out is that week, we had prepared to play on a course that was going to be hard and fast. It had not rained in that region of Spain at that time of the year in about 10 years and when we woke up Friday morning, the bottom had fallen out of the sky," Kite said. "This really gave the European players an advantage because they had played under those conditions at Valderrama in European Tour events there. Even with that, we still only lost by one point in those matches."

James, who hails from Manchester, England, was the European squad's captain two years later. His was the only European team to lose in the past six Ryder Cups and, if not for last-minute heroics by an American team that was down four points heading into the final day, James and his players would have come out on top.

"Everything was great until that last afternoon in the singles. I enjoyed my captaincy quite a bit overall. I wish the singles would have turned out differently," James said. "I managed to dovetail my captaincy into my playing career. I nearly made my own team. I think I did what Tom Kite did in 1997 and we both finished 13th on our points list. I enjoyed the whole thing really."

He also teed it up for the European side seven times, beginning in 1977. With an 8-15-1 record over the years, he obviously has many memories from his Ryder Cup days.

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Mark James (right) shares a moment with U.S. Captain Ben Crenshaw and the Ryder Cup in 1999.

"My best memory as a player was probably in 1995. I played an early foursomes match with Howard Clark and we lost quite heavily," James said. "I think Jeff Maggert and Davis Love III whopped us. We didn't play again until the singles. We went out early in the singles and Howard beat Peter Jacobsen and I beat Maggert who played really well. I was pretty nervous through that singles match but I still won and our team ended up winning that year at Oak Hill by a point."

The next Ryder Cup after James' captaincy should have taken place in 2001 but the Sept. 11 attacks caused a year-long delay. Strange, who donned the captain's hat for the U.S. in 2002, said the anticipation and the off-camera moments were what he remembers most.

"The entire experience was so great. With 9/11, we actually prepared for 2 ½ years. I was really looking forward to the matches. The entire week was fantastic other than not winning. I just remember my team," Strange said. "Behind the scenes, we came together as a team. We cared. The players listened. They were ready to do anything in their power to try and help us win. I also remember how emotional it was when it was over. There were quite a few little things that happened that people don't get a sense for watching on television."

His most vivid memory comes from his first year competing, something the World Golf Hall of Fame member would do five times in his career. Strange had a 6-12-2 record in Ryder Cup competition.

"I remember my first match ever in 1983, playing alternate shot with Raymond Floyd, and how nervous I was. We birdied the first hole so that really helped. Actually, I was okay but it was the lead-up with everyone telling me how nervous I was going to be," Strange said. "I also remember 1989 when I was playing last in the singles and I made birdie on the last four holes to beat Ian Woosnam and we halved the matches at The Belfry."

With their experience comes wisdom, so we polled Strange, Kite and James plus a handful of other Champions Tour players who've been watching and/or playing in the Ryder Cup for decades. Will the United States finally win again? Or will the Europeans continue to dominate?

See what the 50-and-over group had to say: Ryder Cup predictions.