Azinger: third round 76
United States Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger admits he is undecided about the course set-up he will request for next month's match at Valhalla.
Azinger has cultivated a good relationship with Mark Wilson, the course superintendent at the Kentucky course, in a bid to exploit any possible advantage.
"If there is an advantage I'll look for it but I don't know what that would be," said the 1993 USPGA champion after completing a third round 76 at Oakland Hills.
"Europe's done a great job of exploiting golf course advantage on us for a long time. They have the advantage of going to sites the European players all know and the American players don't know.
"We don't have that advantage here because most of the Europeans who play Ryder Cup play this tour on a regular basis."
Uncertain
Azinger is uncertain whether to make the lay-out at Valhalla as tough as possible.
"There's a little something inside me that says either one could work," he added. "When you look at the history of the US Open and the PGA
Championship it seems like the more difficult it (the course) is, the more Americans show up (playing well).
"But at the same time when you've got a bunch of guys coming in and playing well, you want to give them a chance to play golf.
"It's kind of a Catch 22; (set it up) really, really hard and hope for the best or set it up maybe a little easier and say: 'My guys are playing well, I'm going to let them play golf'."
The Americans will be bidding to end a run of three successive Ryder Cup defeats when the mactb gets under way on September 18.
