CAPTAIN OF 1989 USA TEAM RETURNS AS A "STAGE MANAGER"

 RAY FLOYD: Played in eight Ryder Cup matches, the last when he was into his 50s.

TOM WATSON PICKS RAY FLOYD (71) AS 

ONE  OF HIS RIGHT-HAND MEN AT 

GLENEAGLES

LOS ANGELES -- Tom Watson, 64, has chosen another "Golden Oldie" - World Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd, as one of his assistant captains for the Ryder Cup.
Floyd will be 72 on September 4, a few weeks before the match at Gleneagles, Perthshire. 
Floyd, who is a four-time major champion, played on eight Ryder Cup matches for the United States  and captained the 1989 American squad.
His more recent connection with the Ryder Cup was to be a vice-captain to Paul Azinger when the Americans won the 2008 match at Valhalla by 5pt.
Nick Faldo was the losing Europe team captain.
He won 22 times on the US PGA Tour and 14 times on the Champions Tour for the over-50s.
Floyd joins two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North on Watson's team.  North will be 64 on March 5.
The Ryder Cup will be played at Gleneagles from Septemer 25 to 28.
So why did Watson go back in time to pick Floyd? He explained:
"You look at Raymond's eyes. You never saw his eyes waver, no matter if he was shooting 80, which he rarely did, or shooting 65. His eyes had a focus that you like to see," Watson said.
 "The way he played the game was every shot counted, and that's the type of guy that I want to be taking care of my back, as the captain."
Watson described Floyd and North as the "stage managers" of the U.S. team.
"We set the stage for the players to go compete," he explained. "They have to go out and they have to act.  In my opinion, (Raymond) couldn't be a better person from the standpoint of the respect of the players because he's been there. 
"He'll have stories to share and he'll have an understanding of what the pressure is like. He'll be able to relate to the players and be there for them.  He'll be able to see how nervous they get and talk to them from the standpoint of, this is how I did it."