Azinger looking for fast start

Aggressive look to singles lineup

The rambunctious crowds at Valhalla have taken to Boo Weekley (left) and J.B. Holmes. (david cannon/Getty Images)

LOUISVILLE - Guidelines for the Ryder Cup mandate singles play on Sunday, so US captain Paul Azinger had no choice but to break up the team that has captivated the raucous crowds at Valhalla Golf Club.

But Azinger sure has done his best to keep Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes as close as possible.

"Well, you've got kind of the Kentucky boys in there," said Azinger, whose lineup for today's singles matches doesn't need much analysis.

Eager to get off to a fast start, Azinger has sent out four players who've combined to play in matches that accounted for 4 1/2 of the US team's 9 points.

Anthony Kim will lead off against Spain's Sergio Garcia, to be followed by Hunter Mahan (vs. Paul Casey), Justin Leonard (vs. Robert Karlsson), and Phil Mickelson (vs. Justin Rose).

"I think the first four guys are pretty aggressive personalities," said Azinger. "They're the kind of guys I wanted to go first."

Kim and Mickelson went 1-1-1 in their three matches, while Mahan and Leonard teamed to go 2-0-1. With Kim and Leonard rested for yesterday's afternoon four-ball, Mickelson and Mahan earned a half-point, so it's clear that Azinger feels he's front-loaded with his most on-form guys.

But the intrigue comes at the fifth, sixth, and seventh spots, where local heroes Kenny Perry and Holmes will be sandwiched around cult hero Weekley.

"You know, I'm from here," said Holmes, when asked why he has been, along with Weekley, embraced by the crowds. "And Boo [a country boy from the Florida Panhandle] might as well be from here."

Counter help
European captain Nick Faldo submitted some symmetry into his lineup, going with the fiery Garcia first, but arguably four strong players ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th - Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Padraig Harrington. "We've thought long and hard [about the lineup]," said Faldo, who bowed to Harrington's wish to anchor things . . . Although Garcia is 14-5-4 in the Ryder Cup, he's 0-1-2 this week and 1-3 in his singles career . . . Faldo was testy about all the criticism he received for sitting Westwood and Garcia in the morning foursomes, the first time either has missed a Ryder Cup session. "We had a ridiculous situation. You know, I new the facts," he said. He contended Garcia asked for a rest and, since Westwood is the Spaniard's foursomes partner, "all that made sense." Westwood told reporters, "I wanted to play. I never asked to sit out. I'd never missed a match. I had a couple of blisters, but it wasn't going to stop me."

You the man (?)
The lineup card said it was Steve Stricker involved in the four-ball match with Garcia and Casey. But it sure looked like someone else. "I am not that type of player you saw out there," said Stricker, smiling. "I guarantee. But it comes out." Garcia had slam-dunked a 40-foot birdie putt to seemingly tie the match, and he let loose with a series of fist pumps and screams that were no surprise. But Stricker answered from 25 feet, one of his five birdies, and he returned the favor, a fist pump and scream that showed a side of him rarely seen.

Saving on gas
Azinger said it was a tough decision to sit Leonard, who had gone 2-0-1, for the afternoon four-ball. Leonard said it was no big deal. "I felt like I had some more in the tank," he said. "I wasn't sure how much." . . . In two foursomes matches against Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell, Poulter and Rose won nine holes over two trips on the front nine and lost just one . . . Jim Furyk has gone 1-1-1 alongside Perry, the 11th partner he's had in the Ryder Cup. He's won matches with just three of them, Perry, Cink, and Tiger Woods (two) . . . How remarkable has Poulter been? He's been involved in four matches and 67 holes and he's trailed for just two holes . . . In 16 matches, the Europeans won the first hole eight times and lost it on just three occasions . . . The US team led eight matches at the turn, the Europeans seven, and one was tied . . . Aaron Stewart, whose late father, Payne Stewart, was a passionate Ryder Cupper, had a front-row seat. He was driven around by Azinger, one of his father's closest friends.

Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com.