U.S. Ryder Cup team to sport retro- inspired, vintage look at Celtic Manor

On Tuesday, Sept. 7, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin unveiled his four Captain's picks to complete the 2010 Team. On Wednesday, Sept. 8, Pavin and his wife Lisa unveiled what the team of 12 would be wearing during their week at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales from Sept. 27–Oct. 3 and a select group of golf fashion writers got an exclusive look at the styles that the U.S. Ryder Cup Team will sport to defend their title. From Thursday's trophy sweater, to the "cornflower"-colored cardigan for Saturday, to the all black ensemble for Sunday, the collection of "retro-inspired" and "vintage" apparel is sure to turn heads ... and please the players as well. In fact, the light purple "cornflower"-colored sweater happens to be Steve Stricker's favorite color. "Even though it's not your typical red, white, and navy blue, that doesn't mean it's not American. In fact, we are even more patriotic than ever since we'll be on foreign soil," said Lisa Pavin. Because there is not an abundance of these colors, each golf outfit features a patch with the Ryder Cup Trophy prominently displayed on the front left breast and the American flag patch on the back collar. Each Ryder Cup Captain is charged with bringing their own unique style and vision to the outfits that the players wear. While Corey has focused on playing both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour over the last year, Lisa has spent the last two years working with designers to come up with just the right looks for the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup Team. "We didn't want to create a standard, industry look ... we wanted it to be special, to be different and stand out," said Lisa. She explained further that the "retro-inspired, vintage look" that is incorporated throughout the collection is reminiscent of classic golf apparel and inspired by golf greats such as Arnold Palmer. But, she continued, "The retro inspired, vintage look – this is where the golf market is headed." According to veteran golf fashion expert and Golf Digest Fashion Director Marty Hackel, "This is the best collection of Ryder Cup apparel. Period. It's classic slash contemporary, and it's elegant." Designers featured in the collection include Hickey Freeman with a suit, a tuxedo, Match-Day trousers, and the ladies Opening Ceremony coat; shirts, sweaters and vests from Peter Millar; a golf bag from Belding; hats from Imperial Headwear and rain gear from Sun Mountain. Khaki Crusader Sean Hotchkiss said, "Overall, I'm just super-impressed. I think Lisa is spot-on on what [the apparel] should be." Pavin is especially proud of the trophy sweater, which he says is his biggest contribution to the 2010 apparel and is part of the Thursday Match-Play Ensemble. The design was inspired by a similar sweater worn in the 1993 Ryder Cup, which was captured by Team USA and Captain Tom Watson. "It meant a lot to me personally, that sweater, I still have that sweater at home and I just thought it was a very cool sweater ... it embodies what we're all playing for --- the Ryder Cup. I thought the guys would love to have it." Golf fashion writer Annmarie Dodd said, "Every man on the team is going to look handsome at every turn. It's rare that I speak in such bold terms, but I mean it."