Azinger: "This is the first time in 20 years the PGA of America has made great steps to recognize that there are problems to address."

Paul Azinger's appearance on Morning Drive yielded some decent explanations of where things stand and why he's not on the Ryder Cup task force Task Force (he's old...its moving too fast), though I'm not totally convinced of his reasons for missing out on some stellar opportunities to hang with Tiger, Phil, Ray and Rickie.

Transcribed highlights courtesy of Golf Channel's Jeremy Friedman:

On Ryder Cup task force
Azinger – “I’m sure they want me to be a part of this task force.  I didn’t say no, I just said, ‘Not yet.’ I wish everything would have gone a little bit slower.  I wish they would have waited until I was able to meet with them and talk with them before they announced the task force, but that is not how things worked out.  I’m really excited that these guys are able to share their opinion.  The PGA really has opened the phone lines up to past captains.  We have been filtered out of the system in the past and we are getting filtered back in.  I think that really is a big step and I look forward to 2016, however it plays out and whoever the captain is, as a new beginning for the Ryder Cup.  I don’t think this is a desperate time.  We could have easily won in 2012.  We could have been in every other year if we had just held on in 2012…I think there just needs to be a few tweaks.  I am going to present a much bigger picture to the PGA of America than just how to pick the next captain and we’ll see how it works out.”

And...

On whether Azinger has been consulted by the PGA of America since 2008
Azinger – “No, they haven’t.  That is part of the problem I feel, is that we have guys coming in individually every couple of years and the players who are repeat players have to adjust to a new guy’s leadership style. Tom Watson’s leadership style, he thought his style was going to win the matches.  His intentions were great, it just didn’t work out.  They didn’t win.  The players needed to play better.  Europe had a better team. You could have come in with a pod system and still not won. The pod system isn’t the answer.  That was a way to get those guys to bond.  There are bigger problems I feel, and they are going to be addressed.  I love the idea of the task force addressing these problems.  I think it is a great way for players to have an actual voice.  This is the first time in 20 years the PGA of America has made great steps to recognize that there are problems to address.  The task force may be the beginning of that.  I think it is here to stay. I haven’t said, ‘no’ to the task force, I just said. ‘Not yet.’”

The first clip:


And Azinger on the possibility of returning as Captain, getting into some Phil Jackson-like semantics.