September 30 — With the pomp, circumstance, and opening speeches thankfully out of the way, it’s finally time to get down to the business of golf: griping about the 2010 Ryder Cup pairings.
September surprise. U.S. team captain Corey Pavin surprised his European counterpart Colin Montgomerie as well as the rest of the golf punditry by sending Ryder Cup rookies Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton out as his fourth and final group for Friday morning’s fourball (better-ball) match. They’ll tee off against Europe’s Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington.
Monty could barely contain his glee after learning of Pavin’s curious choice to bring up the caboose for the morning rounds. “The way the pairings have come out I’m very excited about the morning fourball play,” he told reporters Thursday. “I just can’t wait to get the thing started.”
Hardly shocking was Pavin opting to lead off with Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. The pair will face off against Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, with the Stewart Cink/Matt Kuchar-Rory McIlroy/Graeme McDowell tilt to follow.
Hidden Tiger, Crouching Dragon? In the “worst-kept secret” category, Tiger Woods will team up with his Presidents Cup pal, Steve Stricker, in Friday’s third match. They’ll go at with Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher — that is, if the Euros can find the No. 1 golfer Monty claims Pavin is “hiding” in the third slot.
“I was expecting Tiger to go first or fourth,” Montgomerie said. “I think Tiger being hidden is a different move, but as we all know every point is important wherever it might be.”
Can’t argue with that logic.
Genius or folly? Pavin’s curveball of the day was his playing two rookies together on the first day and sitting veterans Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan.
“I am surprised. Two rookies out in the final match – it’s been done before I suppose, but I’m surprised at that and I’m sure Luke and Padraig weren’t expecting to play the two that they are,” Montgomerie said in what had to be the understatement of the pairings party. “Who knows? All 12 players, we know they’re good, we know they’re very good, but that was a surprise and will be talked about in the press shortly.”
Pavin, for his part, stayed in character as the guy not named Monty with whom you would least like to have a beer.
Confident captain. “I have confidence in these guys,” said “Borey” (an apt moniker from ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel) Pavin. “They are playing well and these guys just enjoy this environment.”
Sounding just a tad defensive — and, well, why wouldn’t he be? — Pavin added, “I think they will do well and I’m not afraid to put them out there. You can pull two names out of a hat for both teams and put them together to get some great matches.”
Second-hand putter sits. Oh, and the golfer who just pocketed $11.35 million with a used $39 putter from a Boston-area golf shop?
Pavin acknowledged Furyk’s got game but declined to send him out in the opening matches.
“He’s playing well, obviously. You might seem him in the afternoon tomorrow.”
New England golfers will recall that Furyk purchased his second-hand flat stick from Joe & Leigh’s Discount Golf Pro Shop in South Easton, Mass. He made the short trek from nearby TPC Boston in Norton between rounds of the Deutsche Bank Championship over Labor Day weekend.
Furyk wound up winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup with the cast-off stick from Boston golfer and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Paul Szep.
The comic stylings of Corey Pavin. In the meantime, Pavin “joked” that Furyk was “tired from counting all that money” to play Friday morning. He’s here all week, folks; don’t forget to tip the wait staff.
Pavin’s comic styling aside, here are the pairings and predictions for the opening fourball matches Friday in Wales:
First match: Phil Mickelson/Dustin Johnson (U.S.) vs. Lee Westwood/Martin Kaymer (Europe)
Prediction: U.S., 1-up. Westwood’s rusty, Lefty’s Lefty, and DJ stays out of make-believe bunkers.
Second match: Stewart Cink/Matt Kuchar vs. Rory McIlroy/Graeme McDowell
Prediction: Europe, 4 and 3. McDowell steadies nervous McIlroy, Pavin forgot to announce Cink was even on the team, and Kuchar gave it his all during the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Third match: Steve Stricker/Tiger Woods vs. Ian Poulter/Ross Fisher
Prediction: U.S., 3 and 2. Woods hones his new Sean Foley-inspired swing and is comfy playing with “Strick,” Poulter is amped and pumped but his game is off and his thumb’s twitchy from too much tweeting.
Fourth match: Bubba Watson/Jeff Overton vs. Luke Donald/Padraig Harrington
Prediction: You make the call. Bubba rightly has his mind elsewhere, Harrington has yet to get over the snowman he posted at the ’09 Bridgestone Invitational, and Overton’s just happy to be included.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out at the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner websites.)
Related posts:
- Jim Gray was right! Pavin picks Tiger Woods for Ryder Cup; Mickelson has no shot at golf
- Ryder Cup Captain Pavin chooses his assistants
- The Ryder Cup without Tiger
- Zach Johnson makes his case for a Ryder Cup selection
- Ryder Cup speculation can begin
