at the risk of sounding stupid...

[woodzie264]

How are subsequent Ryder Cup captains determined? Is it a selection process, qualifying criteria, etc?

[normdamarine]

I nominated myself to be the next Captain so if I get selected I will let you know...

[bwdial]

Fistfight.

[woodzie264]

  bwdial said:

Fistfight.

that was my gut feeling...but then Corey Pavin is this year's captain, so I started to question that theory...

[shades9323]

google.com

[Wheels309]

The Octopus who picked the World Cup teams selects them.

I read somewhere that they have to have played in the Ryder cup themselves and have won a Major Championship. There was also something about age, but I can't remember what that part was.

[michaeljames92]

Monty never won a major......

[Wheels309]

That might just be for the US team, or I could be completely wrong

[tws1098]

So basically no one knows lol

[jlh1508]

The U.S. PGA selects the Ryder Cup captain from professional golfers who have won a major golf championship, are in their 40s and have played in the Ryder Cup

that is the best answer I can find. I don't think there is any specific way

[Shripe]

http://www.ehow.com/about_6301042_ry...n-chosen_.html

Identification
1. The captains are selected by the governing bodies for golf on the respective continents. In the United States, the PGA of America names the Ryder Cup captain and sets the standards for selection of the team.
Criteria
2. Success on the golf course is one of the primary criteria used for selection of a Ryder Cup captain. Although the winner of the PGA Championship is preferred to captain the U.S. team, the main criteria that is employed is to select a golfer with playing experience in the event, someone who is 40 or older and has won a major championship.
Consultation
3. The president of the PGA of America is the final decision-maker in the selection of the U.S. captain, but he consults with a number of people in the process of making a choice. Those consulted include past team captains, current players and potential members of the team and PGA executive committee members. The decision by the president of the PGA of America is made with input from a lot of people who can provide different types of insight.
Next in Line
4. One of the unofficial criteria that plays a big role in the selection of a Ryder Cup captain is based on considering whose turn it is to captain the team. Players who have been successful on the PGA Tour and in the Ryder Cup competition set themselves apart as candidates. Many of them serve as assistant captains and in other capacities to get on the radar as potential leaders of the team, and when the time comes to select a captain, these players who have worked in support of past teams are given serious consideration.
Politics
5. Like it or not, politics plays a part of the selection process. A player who wants to captain a Ryder Cup team will be one who has a solid reputation in the game for being a good player, a good citizen and for being supportive of the organization and the competition itself.
Leadership
6. In the end, the captain will be the candidate who is most able to gain the respect of the 12 golfers who will be on the team. The ability to make the right choices in the four captain's choices in rounding out the roster is key to the team's success, and the pairing of golfers once the event begins will decide how the team does. When the PGA of America looks for the captain of its Ryder Cup team, it picks the candidate who is most likely to make good, objective choices and manage the team in a way that high-profile players will be on board with the decisions that are made.

[woodzie264]

cool - thanks guys! i dont feel so stupid after all...

[cito]

Larry Nelson won a couple of majors, played in the Ryder Cup and was totally overlooked as a potential captain.

I guess it's not "what you know" but "who you know".

[Radford Wooly]

Pull a name out of a hat!!

[Valleygolfer]

Throw a golf tee in the air and who ever it points to gets to be cap'n