The PGA of America won't officially announce the captain of the 2014 U.S. Ryder Cup team until Thursday morning on the Today Show, but according to a report from Golf World's Tim Rosaforte, it looks like the PGA already has their man.
Roseforte tweeted on Tuesday afternoon that his "reporting has Tom Watson as next Ryder Cup captain" — a name that, until last weekend when he expressed interest in the captaining the 2014 team, was considered a complete longshot.
David Toms and Larry Nelson were rumored to be the front-runners for the 2014 captaincy. However, it appears the PGA is prepared to go in different direction and tab Watson as the U.S. captain at Gleneagles.
My reporting has Tom Watson as next Ryder Cup captain. PGA wants to shake it up. TW captained winning team in '93. Won't lead by committee.
— Tim Rosaforte (@TimRosaforte) December 11, 2012
There are plenty of reasons to name Watson as the captain -- he's a five-time British Open winner and loves playing in the elements -- but the biggest of all could be his past success as a captain on foreign soil. Since the 1981, the United States has won the Ryder Cup on foreign soil on only two occasions — the most recent being the 1993 Ryder Cup at the Belfrey, where Watson was the captain.
Simply put, the PGA of America believes it needs a home run pick to break the recent run of bad form that's seen the U.S. lose seven of the last nine Ryder Cups. Watson's past success on foreign soil in the event, coupled with his stellar player across the pond make him a logical captains pick.
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