Corey Pavin all set to announce his pick out of the top ten contenders for the Ryder Cup Team
Skipper Corey Pavin will choose four more players who will make it to the Ryder Cup European Tour 2010. The selection will be announced today which will round up a 12 member team for Wales in October. Just as everyone was excited about the previous eight picks, Pavin’s pick are as anticipated as the previous ones.
The reasons for so much agitation are many, starting with Tiger Woods who hasn’t been able to qualify for the Ryder Cup team. Moreover, the pressure of adding experienced players in the team has also taken its toll. This makes critics question whether only experience will be the pre-requisite for selection or will talent be given some importance too. Pavin, however, states that he has some options at hand that are experienced and have the talent to make it to the team.
Chris DiMarco, Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard along with David Thomas stand as good contenders, only if experience is considered. But other than Cink, none of these players have been able to really outshine in 2010 and are truly out of form.
The Ryder Cup 2010 will take place on the 1st of October 2010 in Wales. Colin Montgomerie has already picked 8 players which include Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, Jeff Overton, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan and Dustin Johnson. Experts believe that those who favour the presence of experience in the team are right. Mahan only appeared at the Ryder Cup on one occasion which was two years ago. Mickelson, Furyk and Stricker have all lost more Ryder Cups than winning them and Kuchar, Overton, Watson and Johnson are all plain rookies.
Pavin has a total of ten players to choose from and the probable list includes Kim, Glover, Toms, Crane, Couples, Watney, Sean O’Hair, Cink, Woods and Johnson.
Anthony Kim is one of the golfers who will be considered but won’t be chosen. He stands at number 10 while considering the overall choices. Kim played an exceptional season but his injury interfered which made him miss three months of the season. Kim’s last chance to impress Pavin was at the Deutsche Bank Championship but unfortunately he was unable to make the cut.
Lucas Glover, out of 21 tournaments, has managed to finish in the top ten in only three occasions. This talented golfer has missed a total of six cuts and has a standing of 63 in the FedEx Cup rankings. Again, he is talented, but he is not strong enough to make the team.
David Toms is at the number eight spot and can become a “could be” pick since this veteran has only one top ten ranking in the whole year.
Crane is a good option but stands at the 11 spot in the FedEx Cup. He has managed to finish in 5 top ten positions with one victory in hand. Critics rate him as a good option for 2012.
Taking about experience, Fred Couples is the man we need to talk about. He has played the Ryder Cup on 5 occasions but not after 1999 and is a senior golfer worth considering.
A tempting option for the Captain could be Nick Watney who is at number 5. Watney was tied for 7th place at the British and Masters Open and has been able to lead the PGA championship in the final round. However, his finish was horrible since he managed to end on 81. O Hair is also lurking for the same place after having played the tour on a consistent basis. He didn’t go much higher than the fourth spot but he is known to be a player who is hard to nail.
Steward Clink is the highest ranked golfer in the experience list, with a record of 4-7-4 after playing the last 4 Ryder Cup teams. He has been able to play a good enough game and also won last year’s British Open. He is a good contender who is placed on number three, if Pavin goes for him.
The top two positions in the contenders list include Zach Johnson and Tiger Woods. Johnson has won the Crown Plaza Invitational and has steadily climbed the FedEx Cup rankings after every match. At the Deutsche Bank Championship, his R1 was 63 but the weekend that followed was heartless as he moved down the spot. Johnson’s performance was good as he is a player who can play the coming play-offs in a nice way at the Cog Hill.
Despite the controversies surrounding the man, Tiger Woods is a package that will bring experience and leadership into the game. He is the holder of the sub. 500 record at the Ryder Cup and also holds the previous record of 3-1-1. His present may be controversial but his past has a strong backing that can’t be ignored and is probably the easiest pick for the captain.
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