Flashback: When Bjorn Wasn’t Captain Woosnam’s Biggest Fan

You know Thomas Bjorn is in full Ryder Cup captaincy campaign mode when he's congratulating old ("barmy") pal Ian Woosnam on his newfound World Golf Hall Of Fame status.

It's been a decade, but James Corrigan's story on Bjorn lashing out at then-Captain Woosnam from a decade ago makes for enjoyable reading, including the jab about not being burdened "with too many leadership qualities."

Amazingly, the issue was primarily over Lee Westwood getting a captain's pick with little-to-no consideration for Bjorn and others. How times haven't changed!

"So far his captaincy has been the most pathetic I have ever seen," said the 35-year-old, who is one of the European Tour's most respected players, and who is extremely popular throughout the Ryder Cup team room. "The man is barmy - to be captain and not communicate with a team or those in contention at all. I haven't spoken to him for six months, and then I find that I'm not in the team by watching it on television. How can that be right?"

This was nice too...

"I haven't heard a word off him for half a year, and I've spoken to several players who are on the team, and have been for a long time, and they haven't either," he said. "What sort of captaincy is that? I have lost all respect for him. My relationship with him is completely dead and will remain so. This will be the first time I don't even watch the Ryder Cup on television, and you don't know how sad that is, given how much I care for that tournament. I desperately want the 12 players to be a success, but I want them to do it in spite of the captain."

Ahhhh...but all is well now...that someone wants to be captain!

Inevitable: Europe May Take Task Force Inspiration!

As the timeline takes shape for Europe to select its next Ryder Cup captain--Paul McGinley says Christmastime for the Thomas Bjorn to likely get the job according to G.C. Digital--the 17-11 losers at Hazeltine may be taking inspiration from the vaunted American Task Force.

Derek Lawrenson writes for the Daily Mail about Europe realizing it may not be fielding its best team, with Alex Noren serving as the latest reminder by winning his third European Tour title.

Though the discussion could get awkward...

Barring last-minute manoeuvrings, expect them to appoint Thomas Bjorn — and if anyone should know the time is right for change, it is the Dane.

Bjorn benefited from the failings of the current qualifying system when he made the team at Gleneagles.

He won the first qualifying event in Switzerland, then the Nedbank Challenge at the back end of 2013 - and was still hanging on to a place despite a single top-three finish over the next 10 months.

He then struggled in Scotland, contributing a half-point. Yes, it is true the Americans putted far better than the Europeans at Hazeltine and that is why they won. But it is also true that players bang in form invariably do.

Handicapping The Next Ryder Cup Captain's Race

Sadly for admirers of petty politicking and backstabbing the races look to have 1/5 favorites. Bust we mustn't give up hope.

According to Golfweek's Alistair Tait, the oddsmakers will install Thomas Bjorn as the overwhelming favorite.

A separate committee consisting of the three immediate past captains, a player from the tournament committee and the European Tour chief executive now decides who leads Europe’s Ryder Cup charge. That committee will lean heavily toward Bjorn.

Clarke, Paul McGinley and Jose Maria Olazabal are the committee’s three immediate past captains. Bjorn, 45, served as a vice captain under all three. He’s also played on three winning teams (1997, 2002 and 2014), compiling a 3-4-2 record.

I'll pause for a moment to let the goosebumps subside.

As we know, the Europeans have had their share of captaincy drama and sought to stabilize the system. But a resounding 17-11 loss might just handicap Bjorn.

Andrew Coltart makes a case for Ian Poulter, who will be 42 in 2018, to bring his unique blend of Ryder Cup passion and success to the proceedings. Poulter became a 2016 driver vice captain after a season-ending injury and successfully got through the week at Hazeltine without running over a spectator. 

Poulter is 80-1, perhaps because Derek Lawrenson quotes him in a Daily Mail wrap of the Cup's performers as saying he's eager to get back to his playing career. The rest:

On the U.S. side, Kevin Van Valkenburg at ESPN.com considers how Jim Furyk struck all of the right notes and it became clear that the next U.S.A. captain in Paris 2018 was at Hazeltine. Task force honcho Phil Mickelson was already plotting strategy for the captain, according to Love.

In the post-match celebration, Love said while the win obviously meant a great deal to him, one of the things he was most proud of this year was developing (with Woods and Mickelson and other titans of American golf) an approach the U.S. can use going forward, for years to come.

"We started this process well over a year and a half ago," Love said. "And we're sitting there on the 18th green watching the last few matches come in, and Phil is already explaining what's going to happen in Paris."

Only the task force knows who will get to spend a lot of time in Paris, but in ESPN's four-ball, Bob Harig mentions this.

Harig: If you go by how the task force laid out the plan for the future, it will be Furyk. He was a Presidents Cup assistant last year as well as an assistant at the Ryder Cup. You can expect him to be an assistant for Stricker at the Presidents Cup next year. Furyk has played on numerous U.S. teams. It sets him up to get the gig in France.

Task Force, we are living in your world. Just let us know who you annoint the next captain.