Irish Golf Desk

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Love: "We've all got a lot of sting from not winning enough"

Jim Furyk with Captain Davis Love III at the USA Team photo shoot during Monday’s Practice Day of the 39th Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club, Chicago, Illinois 25th September 2012 (Photo Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)Europe might be inspired by the silhouette of Seve Ballesteros but the American will still be hungry for some Ryder Cup revenge.

That’s the view of US skipper Davis Love, who reckons that the “sting” of six defeats from the last eight matches will inspire veterans like Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods to set the record straight.

Love said: “This is Jim’s eighth team and he’s hurting from what, five defeats?

“I’ve got  a lot of sting too. We’ve all got a lot of sting from not winning enough.

“They’ve got the Cup. Jose Maria got off the bus with the Ryder Cup and we want to be in that role next time.”

Olazabal is be hoping that the sight of Seve’s iconic 1984 St Andrews punch on their golf bags will help inspire his players to great things

There’s even a plan to allow Europe to play in Seve’s traditional Sunday outfit of blue and white in the singles.

Ollie said: “We’ve come up with the idea that it would be nice to have Seve’s silhouette, and so every time somebody gets to grab a club or something from the bag can see the silhouette.

“I thought it was important for us to have Seve’s memory and presence during this week.”

Love doesn’t believe that Europe will have an emotional advantage, despite facing the spirit of Seve.

He said: “On both sides we have a lot of emotion. We have just lost Maria Floyd - Raymond’s wife.

“Those things come out and it is going to be emotional for everybody on top of the other emotion that we always pour out.”

Furyk has won just 10 points from 27 matches and wants to write a different story this time.

On halving with Paul McGinley and losing the Ryder Cup in 2002, he said: “Watching his putt go in, seeing the place erupt and being on the green, you feel responsible.

“Even though it’s a team event, even though I didn’t lose my match, that half point cost us the Ryder Cup, and that empty feeling stuck with me.”