Woods and Fowler in, Kim out - Pavin names wildcard picks
Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink and Rickie Fowler have all been confirmed as members of the US Ryder Cup team, captain Corey Pavin has announced at a New York press conference.
Those four wildcard picks join Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar, all of whom had previously qualified.
Along with assistant captains Tom Lehman, Davis Love III, Paul Goydos and Jeff Sluman, the team will journey to Celtic Manor, Newport, where on October 1st they begin their bid to retain the Ryder Cup against Colin Montgomerie's European side.
While Pavin's counterpart Monty agonised about his wildcard picks, eventually leaving out the highly rated English duo of Paul Casey and Justin Rose, the US captain's biggest call was undoubtedly whether or not to take Woods.
Though clearly a diminished force this year in the wake of some well-documented personal problems, Woods has still managed two top-four finishes at majors this year, and retains his position as the world No. 1. Earlier this year, no less an authority than Jack Nicklaus suggested that Pavin "needed a brainscan", were he to leave Woods out of the team.
But the 34-year-old also missed the cut at Quail Hollow, withdrew from the Players Championship with a neck injury and produced a career-low performance at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational earlier this summer.
Since then however, there have been signs that the worst is behind him. Just days after his divorce, Woods shot a first round of seven-under-par at the Barclays. During his most recent outing, at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the dominant figure in golf over the last decade shot his first bogey-free round of the year, finishing tied for 11th place.
Besides the question of whether to take Woods or not, Pavin's other main concern was probably over Anthony Kim; the 25-year-old proved inspirational at the 2008 event when he defeated Sergio Garcia in the first of Sunday's singles matches.
But Kim has been out with an injury for three months this season, and since his return, the player has failed to impress. Pavin clearly decided that on current form, the player could prove to be a liability.
Each of the four wildcard picks were on hand to speaking via telephone immediately after the announcement, Stewart Cink telling the assembled press: "I'm looking forward to it, excited and pumped up to represent the US," while Johnson professed himself: "Thrilled beyond belief. Having your nation's flag on your sleeve just makes it that much more special. Cannot wait for October."
Woods was similarly effusive, telling the crowd: "It's great to be a part of this team, I'm honoured to be selected to head over to Wales. I've been to Wales previously in the Walker Cup, and I'm looking forward to going back, and hopefully bringing the cup back."
And Fowler added: "It's awesome to be selected and I have to thank Corey for selecting me."
On the choice of Fowler's inclusion, Pavin commented: "He's deserving. There are a lot of people in the mix, and it just came down to feelings. I have a gut feeling about Ricky."
Discussing the decision to choose Tiger, the captain explained: "I tried not to form any opinions [prematurely], didn't want to burden myself by over-thinking this. Obviously I was pleased to see him playing better."
But the 50-year-old stressed: "Tiger is one of 12 guys on the team, and every player is just as important. I wanted a team of 12, not 12 individuals. I've succeeded, I hope - that's where I wanted to go with this."
On possible pairings, Pavin commented: "Like the overall blend of the team, there's a lot of options, many combinations out there that'll work. I'm not afraid to put anybody with anybody. You can put young guys and veterans together, I think there's a lot of permutations out there, nothing set in stone yet."
Woods was at pains to stress his respect for the competition. Quizzed on a lack of interest in the tournament in the past, Woods replied: "I've always loved the Ryder Cup, I don't know where this perception of indifference comes from."
On the possibility that Charley Hoffman could have played his way onto the team with yesterday's performance in Boston, Pavin said "I was impressed by the way he played. He jumped onto the radar last night, but he joined a large group. We certainly looked at him, as we did a lot of players."
Asked if there were any weaknesses in the team that needed to be address with the wildcard picks, Pavin said: "It was a very balanced team already, which gave me great luxury, tremendous flexibility. That doesn't happen very often, where there are so many good choices out there."
And on Fowler's lack of experience, the captain spoke on the potentially boisterous atmosphere in Wales with the comment: "He can handle it. He's had experience of international play [at the Walker Cup], and he has a very steady head on his shoulders."
Assistant captain Lehman added: "Fowler is very tough mentally, very fearless in the way he plays. Experience can play a big role, but with this team Corey had more flexibility and he made the right decisions."
Pavin reiterated: "There were a lot of guys in the mix, and it was a very hard choice. It ultimately came down to what I thought was best for the team."
The last word went to Woods, though, who said of that potentially tough crowd: "You want to play well enough to keep the home crowd quiet." With the year he's just had, Woods may have to play exceptionally well if he hopes to keep some of the livelier elements of the crowd subdued in October.
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