USA skipper throws down gauntlet on eve of battle

CLOSE to Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world, US PGA Cup captain Jim Remy is desperate to stop the rot in what has been a stinking spell for the Americans in golf’s major men’s team tournaments.

After losses in the Ryder Cup and the Walker Cup in less than a year, Remy doesn’t want to see Russell Weir, his Great Britain & Ireland counterpart, leaving California next Monday with the trophy up for grabs in the club professionals’ equivalent.

Indeed, having watched GB&I’s amateurs defy the odds in the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen last weekend, he wasted no time hammering home a warning to his players ahead of the 25th PGA Cup, which gets under way at CordeValle today.

“We talked about what happened in the Walker Cup earlier in the week it and I explained to them how good the GB&I team is and how serious they take this,” said Remy, who was president of the PGA of America at last year’s Ryder Cup in Wales.

“I’ve been fortunate, this is my fourth PGA Cup match and I’ve been involved in three Ryder Cups, so I’ve been around these events. I told the team they (GB&I) take this very seriously. This is big, they will be ready and they will give it everything they can.

“That’s why we had a more pointed practice session on our first day here this week than we have ever had. We practised more seriously and structured than in the past because we know they have a great team.”

While Remy, who grew up in Massachussets but now lives in Vermont, met Weir for the first time earlier this week, he has done his homework on the Scot, who made eight appearances in the event. “I looked at his playing record and I’m glad I’m not playing him,” noted the American.

By the same token, Weir’s bid to become the first GB&I captain to win on US soil won’t be made any easier by the fact he’s up against someone who is clearly as competitive as they come in the sporting arena.

“I’ve been involved in pro sports since I was young,” revealed Remy. “I was a professional ski racer, I raced motorcycles, I raced cars, I play golf – that’s what I do, I compete.

“I was an avid ski racer but, when I got older and realised I couldn’t do it anymore, I thought golf would be a way. I got involved with the game because I needed a summer job. I’m thrilled that I made that decision because I love it.”

Remy’s hopes of seeing the Americans win the Ryder Cup under his watch were foiled by Colin Montgomerie at Celtic Manor last October. He wouldn’t be surprised to see the Scot back in charge of the Europeans at Gleneagles in 2014.

“Celtic Manor was the greatest memory of my golfing career being the president of the PGA of America,” he said. “When people ask me about Celtic Manor, I say that’s what happens in sports. You just never know. You can have the greatest team but the putts don’t drop or things don’t go right.

“But it was a fantastic Ryder Cup, it was great for golf. Of course, I would’ve loved to have won but I was more pleased that is was a great competition. That’s what sports is about. One team wins, one team doesn’t.

“Monty loves the Ryder Cup, just like Corey Pavin does and Davis Love, our next captain does. They honour it, it means a lot. Monty is a great competitor. I had the chance to spend time with him at Celtic Manor at the gala dinner and I got to know him a little bit. I was very impressed and have a lot of respect for him.

“Having the victory at Celtic Manor and the connection at Gleneagles, it wouldn’t surprise me at all (if they appointed him in 2014). And I’m sure he’d do a great job.”

While neither Remy nor Weir are likely to see their players wearing waterproofs over the next three days here in the Californian sunshine, the American captain showed his sense of humour when his recollection of Wales touched upon the ones Pavin’s players wore there.

“It was one of those things,” he said of the fact that they leaked and £4,000 had to be spent in the merchandise tent to buy replacement suits. “It was the biggest stage in sport that week and we were suspended for play at the time and there was nothing else to talk about.

“It became a bigger story that it was. You’ll notice, many of the players wore the original waterproofs the rest of the week. I wore them.

“I took some ribbing when I was out there from some of the fans. We had our names on the back so everyone was yelling out our names and saying ‘how’s your waterproofs Remy’. It was all in good fun. It really rained that day. I had water on my neck and my sleeves but they were fine. I’ll keep them forever – I’ll frame them.”