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US team sings Lehman's praises

19/09/2006

The US Ryder Cup team have heaped praised on their captain Tom Lehman for fostering an improved camaraderie among the players, not least for introducing a singing competition that saw Tiger Woods an unwilling participant.

Last month Lehman organised a trip to Ireland's K Club with all the players so that they could develop their personal relationships, and the policy of improving morale within the players continued with an impromptu singing session requiring the golfers to deliver renditions of their college anthems.

World number one Woods had at first managed to slink away but was eventually press-ganged into singing himself, although Lehman and the rest of the team were unimpressed.

"I saw him sing and I can tell you right now, he can't sing," said the captain.

Team member Scott Verplank added: "He wasn't good and he didn't like doing it. I wouldn't recommend he go to a recording studio or anything like that. Tom got him a little on the embarrassed side, which was good and everybody had a good laugh."

A succession of golfers have praised Lehman for his efforts in improving team spirit within the US camp, with dissention seen as a contributing factor to their four losses in the last five contests.

"I think his leading is what I really enjoy. He's telling us where to go, who to play with, what time to be there. He's not giving us any wiggle room. He's telling us what to do, who to play with, how to play, how much money to put in the pot. He's telling us everything and I love it. I think it's a great way for us to get prepared," claimed Stewart Cink.

Chris DiMarco, veteran of two Ryder Cups, said that Lehman was the "best captain I've ever had".

The captain himself, meanwhile, emphasised that amid the fun, the main reason the US team was in Ireland was "to play golf".

"We will be ready to play on Friday. There's no question about that. Once 08:00 on Friday morning comes around, our team will be ready. They are prepared, they are excited, they are looking forward to it. We are just enjoying every step along the way," he said.

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