When the United States was struggling to maintain dominance in the Ryder Cup in the early 1990s, a dominance it eventually lost to Europe, one of the stalwarts on the U.S. side was Corey Pavin.

Now, a year from the next Ryder Cup and with the United States defending the Cup, it is Pavin who will act as the U.S. captain. And Pavin hopes to instill a little of the same fervor he played with in the 12-man team he'll take to Wales next October.

“I know the last time we won (in Europe) was in 1993 at the Belfrey, and I was part of that team,” Pavin said in an international conference call with European captain Colin Montgomerie. “It's awfully fun to win on foreign soil, as Colin can attest to. So that's something that I would like to instill in my players, how much fun it is to win on the other person's golf course.”

Winning, either at home or on foreign soil, is something Pavin knows well in the Ryder Cup. In three Cup appearances in 1991, 1993 and 1995, Pavin compiled an 8-5-0 mark, including a 2-1-0 record in singles matches.

Pavin was known for his grinding style, holing critical putts and even chips, while playing in matches. It was a style that also served Pavin well in his PGA Tour career, where he has 15 victories, including the 1995 U.S. Open and victories in the Bob Hope Classic in 1987 and 1991.

While Pavin's team won't be official until after the PGA Championship next August, he certainly can count on players such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to lead the U.S. efforts.

But Pavin already faces the task of living up to the performance of two recent U.S. captains. Paul Azinger led the U.S. Ryder Cup team to a surprising victory in 2008, and Fred Couples was captain of the U.S. squad in an easy victory over an International team in the Presidents Cup earlier this month.

Pavin bristled at the idea that Azinger's team somehow overcame the image of U.S. team's as 12 rugged individuals who don't play well as a team.

“They do (bond). It's a lot easier to bond when they are making putts and winning the tournament,” Pavin said. “Trust me, in Ireland (in 2006, where Pavin was an assistant U.S. captain) we had a great time there. We just didn't play very well (an 18-9 loss), simple as that.”

In fact, Pavin said, recent successes in international events such as the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup could make his job a little easier.

“Obviously with the Presidents Cup, a lot of those players are probably going to be playing on the Ryder Cup team and will have experienced a week together in bonding,” Pavin said. “And you can go back probably quite a few years and see the same people. So I don't think that's a big issue that needs to be nurtured and addressed.”

Montgomerie agrees, saying that since both Pavin and Montgomerie are still active players, it shouldn't be tough to communicate with players or bring their squads together.

“One of the reasons I was asked to become Ryder Cup captain was because I was still in the playing capacity,” Montgomerie said. “Nick (Faldo, captain of the 2008 European team) has not played for a number of years really fully on our tour, and was over in the States in a commentating position. I think (Faldo) found it more difficult, therefore, to communicate with the team on a day-to-day basis, than I would be able to playing with the team around.”

For Pavin, it won't be bonding the team as much as deciding which golfers will play together in foursome and four-ball matches that will be the test of his captaincy.

“As captain, pairings is one of the most important things that we will do, no doubt,” Pavin said. “(Couples') job (at the Presidents Cup) was a little different than our job here. He has six matches or five matches going all the time and that in itself makes it a little easier to pair. We have four matches at a time, and it's much more difficult to leave four people out of a match, because we want everyone to play.”