Eleven nice guys and Paul Azinger. It was not the kindest thing Seve Ballesteros ever said about somebody.

For a while the feeling was mutual. ``The king of gamesmanship,'' said Azinger of the equally combative Spanish star.

But, looking back, the man who is now captain of an American side desperate to avoid a fourth successive defeat does not believe the highly-charged matches he had against Ballesteros were all bad for the Ryder Cup.

``I have regrets, but I think it helped the Ryder Cup in some perverted way,'' said Azinger.

``I think it helped in the States for sure. I don't think people lost respect for me or Seve as a result, but of course there are regrets.``It got ugly, but it wasn't all my fault that it got ugly - and it wasn't all Seve's fault. It just got ugly.

``How you can sum it all up is that there is a huge element of patriotism that comes with the Ryder Cup. I'm patriotic and he's patriotic.

``Patriotism is a real element of the matches and it should be - wear it on your sleeve and sometimes the emotion reaches a level where it can look ugly.

``There probably will be more such moments. If there's a little animosity in some respects it makes it more compelling.

``You're not looking for that animosity - it's about sportsmanship and getting it done with the best team coming out on top - but if there's that element it becomes more compelling.

``There was a natural animosity when Europe was winning. Some of the things that were said about the Americans at the time created it.

Crushed

``There's probably a bit of that coming into this one - but not coming from the captain.

``There are players on the team that have watched us getting crushed and they might come in with a little animosity.''

Asked for a personal high point of his playing career in the event - his first cap was in 1989, he kept his place for the next two matches and then, after recovering from lymphoma cancer in his shoulder, returned in 2002 - Azinger goes right back to that debut at The Belfry.

``Winning at Kiawah in 1991 and at The Belfry in 1993 was fantastic, but individually I think it was beating Seve.

``Even though we didn't win the match, to take on a guy like Seve in Europe and come out on top - it was kind of a grudge match and there was a lot going on -  was nice.''

There was tension between the pair almost from the start and at the last, with Azinger one-up, Ballesteros was furious with the drop the American was given after driving into the lake, put his second shot into the water and lost.

Two years later it was almost inevitable they would clash again. During the opening foursomes Azinger and Chip Beck made the mistake of changing the compression of their ball, Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal spotted it and challenged them, then made a phenomenal comeback to win.

Azinger's last-ever shot in the event was a memorable one six years ago. Holing a bunker shot to prevent Niclas Fasth winning the cup back was a stunning way to go out, although minutes later, of course, Paul McGinley did take Europe to victory.

``I never really had any rock-bottom moments. I can honestly say I've been very fortunate in that regard,'' states Azinger.

Not so in his life. The discovery of the cancer soon after he had won his first major title at the 1993 US PGA put all his animosity with Ballesteros into perspective and, having survived that scare, he lost his close friend Payne Stewart in an air tragedy in 1999.

Revamped

Perhaps it would have been Stewart - his senior by three years - who captained the 2008 Ryder Cup side if he was still alive, but Azinger, who when speaking at the memorial service donned the plus-fours and cap Stewart was famous for, was thrilled to be offered the chance.

He immediately revamped the selection process in an attempt to make the Americans more competitive after two nine-point hammerings.

``I just like the idea that we are bringing players in who have won tournaments this year. For the last few matches we have averaged six team members who have not won a tournament (in the same season as the match) while the Europeans averaged two.

``I thought the change had to be made. I wanted it changed for Hal Sutton's team (in 2004) and talked about it.

``I totally believe in my heart of hearts that what really matters is that we get guys there who are playing well at the time - I think Europe has been able to do that year-in and year-out and I just think the way we pick our team didn't evolve.

``Team spirit is not an issue. If you are behind from the first morning and the first day in six consecutive Ryder Cups spanning 12 years where's the team spirit going to come from?

``If you are out there smiling and laughing you are going to be ridiculed for not caring. The players care - they are being beaten and they don't like it.

``What you see is natural human reaction to what's been going on. And what's been going on hasn't been good - if it wasn't for the miracle at Brookline we'd have lost six straight matches.

``To say it's about cohesiveness and bonding I think is a complete misrepresentation of what it's all about.

``It's all about being prepared mentally and knowing the golf course and just trying to get it done. It's all about execution.

``All I want is players who want to be there and ready when they start. I believe it's cyclical and maybe now it can start to trend back the other way.

``America is starting to show some good young players who have watched America getting beat. Maybe they will take it personally. We will see.''

In an article in a British Sunday newspaper in April it looked as though Azinger was making it personal too - him against European captain Nick Faldo, the man who it is reported rubbed him up the wrong way after pipping him to the 1987 Open at Muirfield.

Azinger revisited their rivalry, but says now: ``I know some people think I did it on purpose, but I didn't - it was kind of a slip-up.

``I was just trying to articulate that there are two Nicks, Old Nick and New Nick. I got trapped a little bit, but Nick and I are friends. We really are.''