Azinger’s mindset: team first

Paul Azinger apologized for doing the interview by phone and not in person. But there's no way he was going to miss one pitch of his beloved Tampa Bay Rays playing the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series.

The man who captained the United States to its first Ryder Cup victory since 1999 will be playing in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open this week at TPC Summerlin. But his focus is clearly 2,500 miles away as the Rays attempt to extend their worst-to-first season.

"I used to have season tickets, but I gave them up," said Azinger, who has thrown out the first pitch at Tropicana Field and brought the Ryder Cup to the ballpark to show it off. "It has been an amazing run."

The same could be said for Azinger in the aftermath of the Ryder Cup. He has received tons of credit for the Americans' victory Sept. 21 at Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Ky. But he has tried to downplay his role.

"I never swung a club," Azinger said. "All I tried to do was give them an opportunity to be successful."

Azinger said he'll take credit for one thing -- his plan to break the team into small groups, which fostered competition and camaraderie. The move worked as the players bonded well and came through in critical stages of the event.

"After we won, I told them how 600 million people were watching them perform and how proud I was of them," Azinger said. "I told them it takes nerve to be successful, and these guys really responded to pressure."

Azinger is no stranger to thriving under pressure. In 1993, a few months after he won the PGA Championship, he was diagnosed with lymphoma in his right shoulder blade and spent most of 1994 battling the disease. He endured chemotherapy and radiation treatments and came back to play 23 events in 1995.

Azinger has won only once since beating cancer, but he is OK with that. At age 48, he figures a new career awaits him on the Champions Tour after his 50th birthday.

"I've always been something of a fighter," he said. "When I was diagnosed, it completely changed my world. I was no longer in charge of my life. But I never was going to give in (to cancer)."

Azinger's fighting spirit served as a model for his Ryder Cup players. They followed his example, battled on every hole and came out winners.

"The players were great," he said. "I can't say enough about their commitment and their dedication. This is all about them."

But Azinger finds himself being feted as well.

"It's funny, I haven't been out much since we won, but a lot of people come up to me and say 'thanks,' not 'congratulations,' " he said. "Hearing that, I realized for that week, we were all Americans. We put our political differences aside and pulled together as one country. It was a beautiful thing to see."

Some of the players Azinger captained will be opponents when play begins Thursday at TPC Summerlin. Former UNLV star Chad Campbell and Hunter Mahan are in the Shriners Open field, but they shouldn't expect Azinger to share any insights about the tricky greens.

"I guess our friendships are over," he said with a laugh. "But it's going to be interesting. I haven't hit the ball in a long time. My hand has been bothering me, and my back is sore. But I wanted to be out here. I love the course. I enjoy Vegas, and it's for a good cause anytime you're helping kids and hospitals."

With Frank Lickliter II and Jeff Quinney, Azinger will tee off at 11:39 a.m. Thursday from the 10th tee. He said his memories remain vivid from his 1987 victory in the Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational when it was played in the spring at three courses.

"I remember the year I won it was a real grind," said Azinger, who has 12 career Tour wins. "I was 12 shots back with 33 holes to play on Saturday, and I holed out a shot from a fairway bunker with a 5-iron.

"I wound up winning by one shot. I learned to never count myself out of anything."

That's a lesson his favorite baseball team has apparently learned well.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.