The last large remaining drama of the 2010 golf season is whether Tiger Woods will be on the U.S. Ryder Cup squad. The once unthinkable proposition that Woods would need to be one of Corey Pavin’s four captains’ picks to make the roster is now a reality with Ryder Cup qualifying now finished with the PGA Championship.
Team captain Corey Pavin announced that Woods is “high on his list” for one of the four remaining spots during a press conference on Monday, but would not guarantee Tiger a place on the roster, according to the AP. Pavin was encouraged by Woods’ improved play at the PGA Championship after his disastrous near-last place finish the week before at the Bridgestone Invitational, but said he would not make any of picks public until September 7.
Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, recent PGA runner-up Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar are the eight automatic qualifiers for the United States squad. Woods is in the at-large mix with Anthony Kim, Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson, Bo Van Pelt and Stewart Cink. Assuming he’s healthy, Kim is the only real lock among that group. Despite his recent struggles, it’s difficult to imagine Pavin would pass over Woods for the likes of Glover or Johnson -- assuming Tiger doesn’t regress further.
Indeed, Jim Gray certainly thinks Pavin intimated as much...
