U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger held court on Wednesday at the FBR Open, detailing his plans for the upcoming matches against Europe for a group of national media mostly here to cover the Super Bowl.

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Azinger also announced he will flip-flop the order of play for the first two days of the 37th Ryder Cup, which will be held Sept. 19-21 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. That format will be morning foursomes followed by afternoon four-balls.

That basically reverses the order from recent Ryder Cups. The last time Azinger’s plan was used was at the 1999 Ryder Cup matches, when the U.S. rallied from oblivion for a 14 1/2-13 1/2 victory.

In the last two Ryder Cups, the U.S. has been beaten badly in the old format.

“I feel like the Americans had an edge in alternate shot,” Azinger said. “I think it’s partly responsible for why Europe has gotten off to a pretty hot start. ... I hope it’s the right decision.’’

If Azinger is sweating his role as captain, it isn’t showing.

He’s made all the moves he can to neutralize some of Europe’s strengths, he said, like getting four captain’s picks instead of two. But the bottom line is he can only watch — he can’t play.

“They’re all big boys and they know what they’re doing,’’ Azinger reasoned. “I don’t think there’s any motivational speech I can give to make a guy playing poorly play better, and I don’t think I can say anything stupid enough to screw anybody up.’’

Azinger, 48, who originally was given an exemption into the FBR Open but gave it back when his major medical exemption held up, said he only plans to play in 10 to 15 tournaments this season.

He was limited to 13 starts last season due to a back injury and earned just $174,069. He has 14 events to earn $611,111, or a total of $785,180 — the money won by the No. 125 player on last year’s list.

Does that mean he still has time to think about capturing his 13th career win — his first since the 2000 Sony Open?

“I’m coming to every tournament committed to trying to win it, really,’’ he said. “So we’ll just see if I’m good enough to get in contention this year.’’

Azinger holds the honor of winning the very first FBR/Phoenix Open held at the TPC Scottsdale in 1987. Those are fond memories, he said.

“There was nothing out here, no strip malls, no car dealerships, no places to stay, the Princess didn’t exist,’’ he said. “The TPC was a new concept, and I think I shot 16 or 17 under, and it wasn’t brutally difficult.

“It’s much tougher now because of the length.’’

Azinger, who won two more times in ’87 and was the player of the year, said two things stick out from that initial victory: Doug Tewell walking behind him and urging him to get up and down from the pot bunker at No. 16, and his caddie insisting he hit driver at No. 18 when Azinger wanted to play it safe with an iron off the tee.

“(Tewell) went from wanting to win to realizing he couldn’t win to beginning to pull for me,’’ Azinger said of the gentlemanly gesture that only happens in golf. “I remember 18, a one-shot lead, and when I got there my caddie (Billy Porter) had a hug around all my clubs except he had the cover off the driver.’’

Azinger ended up striping the driver down the fairway, and hit 7-iron into the green, where he two-putted for the winning par.

By coincidence — or maybe not — Porter is on Azinger’s bag again this week.