As Paul Azinger shared news of his four Ryder Cup captain’s choices early Tuesday, the style mavens kept questions about U.S. team uniforms in proper abeyance.
Nearing the end of his press conference, when queries seemed to range far and wide in a more informal setting, Azinger addressed the issue. We asked the extent of his involvement. He replied: "100 percent."
As to whether we might expect the unexpected, the captain demurred: "The designs are what they are," he said. "I’m not an arbiter of style. I wish I could think like that, but I don’t. You won’t see anything like 1999. In some respects, [those Sunday shirts are] the most memorable part."
So what to expect? Nike, which is Azinger’s apparel sponsor, is handling the on-course uniforms. Hickey Freeman is fashioning the off-course suits, jackets and tuxedos. Canali is designing and manufacturing the European side’s on- and off-course uniforms. All three have considerable resources at their disposal and almost certainly responded to any direction or inspiration Azinger or, in the case of Canali, European captain Nick Faldo provided.
The uniforms could be rich and stylish, as opposed to dull and lackluster. Azinger conceded most of his choices were "conservative." One area where he did solicit input was asking team members their preference in three fabrics, presumably cotton, a blend, or a polyester technical fabric to be incorporated into shirt designs.
Opportunity missed? It’s hard to say until we see the uniforms, which are more or less embargoed until play begins. They are orchestrated for each day, including practice rounds on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. For now, we’ll give the captain the benefit of the doubt as there’s little denying that Azinger has thrown himself into his captaincy with an uncommon commitment to put an end to the U.S. side’s losing ways.
Nevertheless, there was clearly the possibility for Zinger to orchestrate something inspired. It’s entirely conceivable that he’s relying on his team members to make the uniforms but a footnote. — Robert Lohrer
