Steve Stricker faces tough task returning Team USA to Ryder Cup glory

The 51-year-old Wisconsin native Steve Stricker was named on Wednesday as the captain for Team USA for the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.

Steve Stricker is going home in 2020.

The Wisconsin native was introduced on Wednesday as the captain of Team USA for the 2020 Ryder Cup, taking place Sept. 25-27 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. The 51-year-old Stricker brings plenty of Ryder Cup experience to the job, making three appearances as a player and serving as a vice-captain the last three tournaments. He also has 12 PGA Tour wins in his career but is the first American captain in Ryder Cup history without a major championship.

“I’m an emotional guy. Truly a dream come true,” he said while holding back tears during his introductory press conference on Wednesday. “I’m very passionate about this competition. Some people see this and they don’t think I’m very passionate or fiery about playing the game of golf. But deep down I’m very competitive. We want to win this more than ever.”

Stricker has a daunting task ahead of him. Team USA suffered a humiliating defeat in Paris last September, losing to Team Europe for the fourth time in the last five Ryder Cups. The American team was divided and disjointed, with Patrick Reed accusing captain Jim Furyk of “blindsiding” him after splitting him up from partner Jordan Spieth. Instead, Reed was paired with Tiger Woods and lost both his matches.

Stricker knows he has to avoid a similar distraction at Whistling Straits. He insists his approach to the job will be all about letting the team know what his plans are and getting feedback from the players.

“Communication is my biggest thing,” he said. “I want to make sure that all these players that make the team know what to expect from me and what I expect from them.”

“I think if you’re up front with the player, know where he stands, I think that’s the best you can do.”

Stricker, who captained Team USA to a 19-11 Presidents Cup victory at Liberty National in 2017, is already making changes to how the team will be selected. In 2018 Furyk made three captain’s picks after the Dell Technologies Championship, and his last a week later following the BMW Championship. Stricker, however, will make all four picks at the same time, after the Tour Championship. With the revamped PGA Tour schedule, that will give players nearly a month to prepare to take on the Europeans.

Players can start earning points this week at the WGC-Mexico Championship. In the meantime, Stricker says he’ll spend the next 19 months observing which players are in the best form.

“It will come quickly but it’s a long ways away too,” he said. “I’ll just keep watching. I’m going to play a lot on the regular tour. My goal is to be out there as much as I can, be with these guys, hear what they have to say.”

Despite the 2018 loss, Stricker is opting for some continuity with that team by bringing Furyk back as vice-captain. Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington will captain Team Europe.

One thing Stricker and Team USA won’t have to deal with in 2020 is a partisan European crowd. All of the Americans’ last three Ryder Cup wins have come on home soil; they haven’t defeated the Europeans in Europe since 1993. The benefits of playing in front of your own crowd aren’t lost on Stricker.

“I think it puts us in a better position to try to win. Home field advantage in the Ryder Cup is a big deal,” he said. “Our passionate fans, Wisconsin fans, are going to be there…to support us. That’s what’s important, and that’s what helps us.”

The home field advantage won’t be as important to anyone as it is to Stricker, who lives just 120 miles from Whistling Straits. The job ahead of him will be a difficult one, but at least he knows he’ll have the support of his home state behind him.

Or as he says, “It’s good to be home.”