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"I've thought about what I am going to do with those two guys," Azinger said. "Should I put them together? Should I keep them apart? You know, I'd like to put them off in the first match out, to be honest with you, and get this crowd rockin'."
Perry and Holmes certainly endorsed the idea.
"I've kind of pushed for it all year," said Perry, who endured plenty of criticism for skipping the U.S. and British Opens to focus on his goal of making the Ryder team. "I thought it would be special for two Kentuckians to lead the charge out there to try to win the Cup back."
Added Holmes, "I'd love to play with Kenny. We have mentioned that to Paul. It's definitely Paul's decision, though. He's the captain, and he's going to do what he thinks is right. If that's sending us off first on Friday, that's great with me. I'd love to go out there and start it off with a bang."
Then again, that bang might go bust if Perry and Holmes were knocked off in the opening match.
The Americans started off with another eye-catching group in 2004 when captain Hal Sutton paired up Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, his two highest-ranked players. They lost, and the Europeans were off and rolling.
"I guess it could backfire if we don't play well and they kick us pretty bad," Perry conceded. "It could also have the reverse role. I just think with the energy and excitement, it's going to put a lot of pressure on the Europeans."
All that aside, the most important thing the Americans can do to improve their chances of regaining the cup might be working on their camaraderie. The Europeans treat each other like the best of friends, while the U.S. team often comes across as a bunch of individualists.
"I've always said, and I say it from the bottom of my heart, I would rather go 0-and-5 and win the Ryder cup as a team than go 5-and-0 and lose it," said Spain's Sergio Garcia, who always seems to rise to the occasion in this format. "It's not about me this week. It's about the European team."
Even on American soil, the Europeans are the clear favorites. For once, they actually appear to have the best team on paper, especially with Woods out of action.
But Mickelson said it might be an advantage to have so many rookies.
"Not being a part of the last few U.S. team is not necessarily a bad thing," he said. "The guys who haven't played, they have never lost this event."
