Corey Pavin returns to competition after Ryder Cup captaincy
After a long and emotional week in Wales, Corey Pavin is back in the U.S. and not wasting any time in getting back on the golf course.
The U.S. team captain for the Ryder Cup this past week in Wales, narrowly won by the Europeans, is competing in this week’s Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship, the final
major of the Champions Tour season. Pavin enters the tournament, being played just outside of Washington at TPC Potomac, ranked 13th in the Charles Schwab Cup points list and 19th on this year’s money list.
Pavin, 50, was the object of his fair share of criticism last week, from faulty raingear to questionable pairings. For Pavin, the best way to come down from such an emotional tournament,
which finished one day late due to inclement weather, is to get out on the course himself.
"It’s probably good I have a tournament to play this weekend," he said. "It keeps my mind occupied on something else rather than having nothing to do and thinking about last week so much.
It was a hard week, it was a great week and it was an emotional week."
Fred Couples, ranked 2nd in the Charles Schwab Cup points standings and former captain of the President’s Cup, says it may be hard for Pavin to compete so soon after what had to be a draining
week.
"To be honest, I’m sure it’s … I don’t know what the word would be, not a letdown, because even if they won, he’d be coming here with a high—but he probably hasn’t played golf in a week,"
Couples said.
It’s been more than that. Pavin, who has spent the past couple of months preparing for Wales, is hoping to get back into the swing of things after apparently going six whole weeks without
touching a golf club. One fellow competitor believes he can do it.
“Now he can shift his focus strictly to his own play and being as much of a bulldog as he is, a tough competitor, he’ll be focused on the Champions Tour and playing well right here,” said
Champions Tour player Fred Funk.
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