RYDER CUP 2012:FORMER US PGA Championship winner Davis Love has been appointed United States captain for the 2012 Ryder Cup by the PGA of America.

The 46-year-old, a veteran of six Ryder Cups as a player, will lead the US team at the 39th edition of the biennial competition, to be held at Medinah Country Club near Chicago.

Love, who won his only major title in the 1997 PGA Championship at Winged Foot, has long expressed his desire to captain his country against Europe.

“I am thrilled and honoured to be here at Medinah Country Club to be talking about the 2012 Ryder Cup,” Love said.

“It is a long, long away, but we have been talking about this for a long time. Robin (his wife) and I . . . we are thrilled to have this opportunity, we are excited to be a part of the Ryder Cup once again. It’s a great honour in golf.”

Love, who was one of four vice-captains to Corey Pavin in October when Europe won back the Ryder Cup by a single point at Celtic Manor in Wales, is held in high esteem by his peers on tour.

“To make one Ryder Cup team would make your career,” Love said. “To make a few of them is a blessing. And to get to be an assistant captain was one of the highlights of my career, to be a part of the team from the inside and watch the players play.

“It is going to be an even bigger thrill for us to lead a team, to watch our team, the United States team, try to win the Ryder Cup back here in Medinah.”

Remarkably, Love does not rule out being a playing-captain, something that has not been done since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

“If I qualify and I know that I am healthy I would like to play.

“Maybe I would play once a day and turn my radio in. It would be a nice problem to have.

“We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it, but it would be a great story for our team if I get three or four points out of the deal.”

Love made his Ryder Cup debut at The Belfry in 1993 when he and Tom Kite beat Spanish heavyweights Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal 2 and 1 in the opening foursomes.

He ended that week by beating Italy’s Costantino Rocca in the concluding singles to secure the decisive point for the Americans.

Love went on to represent his country against Europe in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2004, while appearing on two winning teams – at The Belfry in 1993 and at Brookline in 1999.

In six appearances, he earned 11½ points in 26 matches, with a win-loss-half record of 9-12-5.

Known for his long hitting, Love has won 20 times on the PGA Tour, most recently at the 2008 Disney Classic.

Earlier this week, Olazabal was appointed European captain, succeeding Colin Montgomerie.