US CAPTAIN Steve Stricker on Wednesday named six-times major winner Phil Mickelson and former Masters champion Fred Couples as vice-captains for this year’s Ryder Cup.
It will mark the first time the 51-year-old Mickelson, who has played on every US Ryder Cup team since 1995, serves as vice-captain and the second for 61-year-old Couples.
Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship in May at the age of 50 to become golf’s oldest major winner, owns a number of Ryder Cup records on the US side including most appearances, four-ball points won and overall matches played.
Couples, who counts the 1992 Masters among his 15 wins on the PGA Tour, represented the United States in five Ryder Cups and served as vice-captain in 2012.
The Ryder Cup, a biennial team competition between the United States and Europe, will be held from Sept. 24-26 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. — Reuters
