My favorite Ryder Cup memory: Chip Beck

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We asked several Champions Tour players to share their favorite memories from the Ryder Cup. What did Chip Beck say was his favorite moment?

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The first time I made it was really exciting because Raymond Floyd was the captain and he was a boyhood hero of mine. When I was 10 years old he brought Jack Nicklaus to the course in Fayetteville, NC, where I grew up (Cypress Lakes) and it was really nice. They were doing an exhibition for the opening and I remember following those guys around and I remember saying to myself, 'boy, that is what I want to do. I want to be a professional golfer'. I went back to that locker room 45 years later and could not believe I could remember the smell of it and the exact place I was where Raymond gave me 30 Wilson staff golf balls. I was 10-years-old and I had only taken up golf that summer so I was excited about it. That was it for me.

I remember in my first Ryder Cup, Raymond told Paul Azinger and I, (both rookies on the team) 'Chip, Paul, you earned your spot on the team and I'm putting you in and play well. I expect you to play well'. That was the best thing he could have done and we played great for him. I played for Dave Stockton in 1991 and he was a great captain and I thought he did a wonderful job. It was a life experience for my wife and me. We had a wonderful experience on all three Ryder Cup teams.

I remember playing Ian Woosnam in 1991. I think he might have been the number one player in the world then and had won the Masters that year. I could not believe it seemed like every night that week he was out having a good time and partying. I thought man alive, I don't know how this guy plays. I would have been worn out. I remember holing it out of bunkers and I playing as well as I could and beating him. That was quite an experience. That 17th hole there at Kiawah was tough. I remember hitting a 3-wood in there at about 210 yards. It was a great 3-wood. I remember how good I hit that one just to get it around that green. It was a very difficult hole. I think I won 2-1 (actually won 3-1). I think the 1991 Ryder Cup was the first time they really made money and the first time it was sold out in the U.S. They did a good job with it and I'm glad it's grown since.

The Ryder Cup is a very exciting time. It was great time for me and a great experience. I don't think if I've had better experiences in golf. I think it would be nice to see Bernhard Langer play on that team this year. He can still play. He might not be able to play 36 holes a day but you put him in there and I think he can be a great leader and he can intimidate some of those young boys. They know where he comes from and they know how good he's been in Europe for all those years. He'd be a tough guy to play against for us.

I remember when John Cook and I played together in 1993. They sent us out as sacrificial lambs. They didn't think we could play any more. I was so disappointed and I told John, 'six, eight months ago you were one of the top players in the world. Now they're saying we can't play. These guys are crazy. They put us in begrudgingly and sent us out early to play against their number one team of Faldo and Montgomerie. They thought we were done. I said to John, 'we're going to birdie this first hole and we're not going to look back. There's no way'. We birdied that first hole and never looked back. (They won 2-up). I was telling him no one has been underestimated like they underestimated us and lost. I can tell you that. It doesn't matter who it is. Those are great memories.