Wildcard worries for aghast Azinger

IT was bad enough for Paul Azinger to see two Europeans lead the way home at Oakland Hills on Sunday.

But it must have seemed like everyone was really ganging up on him when he examined how the eight players who now form the core of his US Ryder Cup team at Valhalla next month fared in their own PGA Championship, and how limited are his options when it comes to choosing his four “wild cards”.

Azinger went to some pains on his appointment as US captain to be given four picks and perhaps he now regrets doing so. He will finalise the side in New York on September 2, two days after his European counterpart Nick Faldo shows his hand at the end of the Johnnie Walker Classic at Gleneagles.

Azinger actually fared better in the PGA than some of those who will be teeing it up at Valhalla. He made the cut and finished in a share of 63rd place.

He tried to put a brave face on things by stressing: “This wasn’t the Ryder Cup. We have three weeks to go and I want guys who are confident and in form. I will be keeping an unofficial ranking of those competing in the first two of the FedEx Cup tournaments, the Barclays Classic and the Deutsche Bank championship.”

Whether he actually winds up with in-form players at his disposal remains to be seen. Ben Curtis challenged all the way to the line at Oakland Hills and eventually finished in a share of 2nd with Sergio Garcia. It was a brave performance, and seemed to underline that his victory in the 2003 British Open — his first appearance in a major — wasn’t a fluke, and he also won the Booz Allen Classic and the Lumber Classic in 2006.

Honestly, though, he is not the kind of player who will have the Europeans quaking in their boots and much the same applies to the other automatic seven. People can say what they like about Tiger Woods’s record in the Ryder Cup and, indeed, his commitment to the event, but the fact is he will be a massive loss to the home team at Valhalla.

And it doesn’t help the American cause that Phil Mickelson has been going through a frustrating period in which he promises to do great things only to falter for one reason or another when the heat comes on. He will be America’s on-course leader, and frankly it’s not something that will imbue Azinger with any great feeling of comfort or reassurance, especially as his European counterpart will be Padraig Harrington, who can do little wrong these days.

“Lefty” was followed in the points table by Stewart Cink, who missed the cut, and Kenny Perry, who set off for home after a bad opening round citing some pain and ache or other. Given that it was the first “major” of the year in which he bothered to compete, you might have expected him to stick around for a little longer.

Further down the order come Jim Furyk, 29th in the PGA; Anthony Kim, 55th; Justin Leonard, 58th; Ben Curtis, 2nd and Boo Weekley and DJ Trahan, tied 31st.

The chances are that Steve Stricker, who came ninth in the points list and finished 39th at Oakland Hills, will be first to get the nod. The next three in the order — Woody Austin, Trahan and Hunter Mahan — all missed the cut at the weekend, and Mahan picked last week of all weeks to sound off about his disenchantment with the Ryder Cup. After that come the likes of Sean O’Hair, Rocco Mediate, Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson JB Holmes, Jeff Quinney and Bart Bryant.