Will he stay, or will he go? Although he has been urged by a number of Europe's winning Ryder Cup team to stay at the helm for the next encounter - at Oakland Hills in Detroit in 2004 - Sam Torrance indicated yesterday that he was unlikely to reverse his decision to stand down as captain, although he didn't completely slam the door shut on the proposition.
"I really don't think I will do it, to be honest," said Torrance, who becomes eligible for Seniors golf on his 50th birthday next August. "A few of the players asked me. This is not the time to decide. I'm not saying 'no' yet, but I think it's somebody else's turn."
Indeed, the demands of modern day captaincy are such that his two predecessors in the job - Seve Ballesteros at Valderrama in 1997 and Mark James at Brookline in 1999 - only took single helpings. Prior to that, Bernard Gallacher had three stints as captain while, before him, Tony Jacklin had served in that capacity for four successive times.
If Torrance wants the job, he can have it; and he doesn't have to make a final decision just yet. However, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, who was his vice-captain this time round, and Bernhard Langer have all been touted as possible captains for 2004 while Colin Montgomerie has reiterated his desire to be captain at The K Club in 2006. However, given his contribution to the team at The Belfry, it could be suggested that Monty could still have a greater impact on the course than off it.
"He's their leader," insisted US captain Curtis Strange. "Seve was their leader for a long, long time but now it is Colin. Every team needs a leader, not only for their play, but also for the way they handle themselves. Colin certainly does that job. He led by example and the others took their cue from him."
Torrance seemed to indicate a preference for Langer in 2004, should he not decide to take it up himself. "He'd make a fantastic captain," said Torrance, and recalled an incident that occurred in Saturday evening's fourballs which back up his assertion.
It came in the final match, involving Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke against Scott Hoch and Jim Furyk. Clarke was in the bunker, and Furyk in the first cut of rough. McGinley, meanwhile, was on the fairway. "Maybe Paul should hit first," said Langer to Torrance, who agreed. "Paul hit a fantastic shot, 18 feet away, pin high. Then Furyk hit his only bad shot of the day, and I think that was down to Paul putting pressure on him. That was Benrhard's decision." In seeking to get the right man management skills, Torrance consulted a number of football managers, including Alex Ferguson and Sven Goran Eriksson.
Ferguson's message was clear. "He tried to explain to me what it was like to manage a team. He said there are no superstars - they are all the same," he said.
"That was the key. Everyone was made a major part in the team. From the word go the team spirit was fantastic and it lasted right through the week . I didn't really have to do much. On Saturday night I told them to make Sunday the best day of your life. You've got absolutely nothing to fear, go and enjoy it. And they did," recalled Torrance.
However, he did warn that the Americans will be out to regain the trophy in Detroit. "Once you've lost the Ryder Cup you really want it back. They'll come fighting in two years' time because it's tough to take when you lose," he added.
Torrance believes the competition for places in the next European side will be even greater.
"Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Nick Dougherty - there's a bunch dying to get in. And what we did will make them all the more keen," he said. And, of course, Graeme McDowell, who has made an instant impact on the European Tour since turning professional at the start of the summer, will also be keen to add another Irish dimension to the Ryder Cup story.
There is also talk of changing the qualifying system. At present it is 10 off the European money list with two wild cards. One of those wild cards had to be used this time on Europe's top-rated player Sergio Garcia, who spends half the season on the US Tour, and a new method that has been muted is five off the Order of Merit, five off the world rankings and the two captain's picks.
"Why change a winning formula?" asked Torrance, a member of the players' committee which will discuss the issue at its next meeting before putting recommendations to the Ryder Cup committee. "It looks like the selection was right. Obviously they will study it, but we've probably screwed up the plan now we've won it."
This week, however, it is back to the bread and butter of regular tour events for many of Europe's winning Ryder Cup team, including the three Irish players - Paul McGinley, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke. Niclas Fasth, Thomas Bjorn, Lee Westwood, Phillip Price, Pierre Fulke and Montgomerie are also competing.
Apart from the three Ryder Cup players, the Irish contingent is augmented by McDowell, Des Smyth, Ronan Rafferty and Philip Walton.
