Lehman wants his team motivated for Ryder Cup

NEW YORK — Tom Lehman sought out a motivational coach in an effort to lead the U.S. Ryder Cup team to its first win on European soil in 13 years.

The Ryder Cup captain spoke with Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski for nearly two hours Monday about bonding the team before it heads to Ireland for next week's Ryder Cup.

"The guy is certainly a genius in what he does best," Lehman said Tuesday at a luncheon at an Irish pub in Manhattan. "He listens extremely well. He had just a million ideas about what we could do as a team to achieve our ultimate dream.

"Coach K told me, 'Just follow your gut."'

Lehman will guide the Americans Sept. 22-24 at The K Club outside of Dublin, trying to stop the Europeans from winning the Ryder Cup for the fifth time in the last six matches.

With Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson on his roster, Lehman has the top three players in the world. But like the U.S. basketball team, which recently returned with a bronze medal from the World Championships, a star-studded squad doesn't guarantee success.

At the last Ryder Cup in 2004, the Europeans won by a record margin, 18 1/2-9 1/2, at Oakland Hills. Woods and Mickelson were paired together and soundly beaten in both their matches on opening day.

The Americans last won in 1999 at Brookline, Mass. — with Lehman on the team — and they haven't won in Europe since 1993 at The Belfry in England.

"More than anybody I know, Tiger wants to win," Lehman said. "He is definitely engaged in the process. I have his private cell phone number and he says 'Call me anytime' and I do.

"He's taken a great leadership role, especially with some of our younger guys."

It's likely Lehman will pair Furyk with Woods, who is coming off his fifth straight tournament win. Woods and Furyk are friends and played together at the Presidents Cup last year, finishing 2-0-1. On Thursday, both will play in the World Match Play Championship in England.

"I know they want to (play together) and that's a big part of it, if a player feels comfortable with another player and they bring out the best in each other," Lehman said.

Woods will provide power on a K Club course that features three par-5s on the back nine, while Furyk adds accuracy.