US Ryder Cup team selection 2010 comes to an end: Corey Pavin leaves Charley Hoffman out
The Ryder Cup and its selection can make any sane golfer go crazy. After a gap of every 2 years, golfers from Europe and America go fanatical in a bid to play the Ryder Cup. In such a situation, two men hold supreme power in the world of golf. As soon as the selection process initiates, captains for USA and Europe gain a lot importance. And there are reasons to it. They have the authority to appoint candidates for their respective teams.
After an impressive unyielding performance at the Deutsche Bank 2010, Charley Hoffman looked like a solid contender for the Ryder Cup pick. Hoffman played 11 birdies towards a convincing 9 under 62 win to clinch the cup. However, US captain Corey Pavin had other thoughts in mind. He preferred to go the simple way. On 7th September 2010, Pavin announced his 4 picks for the team which did not include Hoffman in it.
The surprise came about because Hoffman displayed sizzling form on Monday which led to everyone thinking of him as a possible Ryder Cup pick. Even Hoffman was hopeful for the selection as he said that his prize for winning the Deutsche Bank Championship 2010 could be no better than a place on the Ryder Cup team. Corey Pavin on the other hand selected Rickie Fowler, a young player over the experienced Hoffman.
Considering the volatile situation, Hoffman is only focusing on the $10 million consolation prize for his victory at the Deutsche Bank 2010. Other than this victory, the 33-year-old has also been able to change his rankings for the better. Hoffman, who was previously at number 59, climbed to the number 2 slot as far as the FedEx Cup standings were concerned. Nevertheless, Captain Corey Pavin’s move to pick rookie golfer Fowler on Tuesday for the squad surprised many.
The statistics didn’t really matter to Pavin this time round. The US captain believed that he chose that player which he felt was right for the team who would help put up a strong and attacking team. Pavin said that in the end, it all came down to feelings. The US Ryder Cup Captain chose Tiger Woods, Stewart Clink, Zach Johnson and Rickie Flower, who have all been criticized by former golfers and the media. As expected, Tiger Wood was blamed for his inability to perform as a team player, Rickie flower was marked as an inexperienced player while Clink and Johnson were just too simple to handle the pressure of the Ryder Cup. However, the US Captain has ignored all criticism falling his way.
The 33-year-old Hoffman does not care about Pavin’s decision either. His win at the Deutsche Bank Championship did not impress the US Ryder Cup captain but Hoffman was fine with Pavin’s decision. He said that his inability to be on the team is not disappointing at all since he had a full year to play to earn his place in the squad. Since 2007, this has been Hoffman’s second victory and has three top ten finishes in the current year.
Many critics have opined that letting Harry Dunne go was a good idea since his 4 top ten finishes are out of the last 21 tournament and he had only been able to stand under the spotlight for a brief moment. As things stand at the moment, even if he did make it to the team, Hoffman would not have handled the pressure too well. His ability to achieve two cuts in 2 major championships in the past 5 years didn’t make the US Ryder Cup Captain very eager to put him on the team.
Hoffman said that he might have had his hopes up for being selected for team USA if he was ranked like Anthony Kim or someone on the 9th or 10th place. However, his win wasn’t strong enough to put him under the radar.
Only on Tuesday, Captain Corey Pavin announced his 4 picks which has brought an end to the Ryder Cup selection fever for the next few days. As a result, Hoffman’s mind-boggling final round at 62 with a 29 on the back 9 was marked as just another good round of golf. Pavin, the most pragmatic man who knows all too much about golf, took the mighty gamble in his hands and chose what he felt was the best possible selection for USA. However, the US captain has failed to realize that feelings can never let an individual down in the Ryder Cup’s perspective.
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