Captains feeling the pressure as Ryder Cup on horizon

WITH 49 days to go until the Ryder Cup, the hotly-contested matches between the USA and Europe at Celtic Manor should quite rightly be exercising the minds of rival captains Corey Pavin and Colin Montgomerie.

So how did they go about preparing for a major championship as players, when putting together a team for a titanic battle in south Wales in seven weeks is at the top of their priority lists?

“I think it does affect both our games,” said Montgomerie on the eve of the tournament as he took a seat next to Pavin to discuss the Ryder Cup matches. “Although, Corey has been playing an awful lot better than I have recently. But I think it does affect us in preparation for our own game in trying to see everybody at the same time, if you like.”

The proof would soon be very evident with both men set to tee off late last night in the fog-delayed US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits and neither relishing the prospect of having to complete their opening rounds this morning before turning right around and heading back out for the second round.

Still, both skippers were putting a brave and even optimistic face on things.

“You know, it’s wearing two hats here at the same time a little bit, which is what Ryder Cup is all about and what the PGA is about this week,” said Pavin, whose team will become much clearer at the conclusion of this tournament, when the eight automatic qualifying spots will be finalised.

“It’s been fun for me. I’ve played a couple of practice rounds with a few players that are potential team members, and it’s been quite fun to do that.

“But at the same time, I’m playing practice rounds; I’m getting ready for the tournament, as well. So it’s a week I’m looking forward to. Sunday evening will be very interesting. I hope it will be interesting on many levels, including my play. As I said, I’m here to compete and play in the tournament, as well.”

Whether Pavin’s mind is totally focused right now is debatable following a remarkable run-in directly after that press conference on Wednesday night that saw him confronted by an angry television reporter, Jim Gray of the Golf Channel, whom he had accused of misquoting him.

The trouble started on Tuesday, when Gray reported that Pavin had told him he would make Woods one of his four captain’s picks on September 7 for the Ryder Cup three weeks later if the struggling world number one failed to qualify automatically with a good finish at this week’s PGA.

The television man had spoken to Pavin off camera and quoted the captain as saying: “Of course I’m going to. He’s the best player in the world.”

This version of their conversation got back to Pavin on Wednesday morning and he took an immediate disliking to it, tweeting: “Jim Gray has misquoted me re: picking Tiger. I never said such a thing and will not say a thing until 09/07.”

Gray hit back on air, telling Golf Channel viewers that there was “not one part” of what Pavin said that had been misquoted.

“And quite frankly, I happen to like Corey Pavin,” Gray said. “I’ve known him an awfully long time, and in this instance, he is being disingenuous and is not telling the truth.”

Then came a scheduled captains’ press conference at the tournament media centre with Pavin, seated next to Colin Montgomerie, confirming that he had spoken with Gray outside the Whistling Straits locker room on Tuesday but that there had been a misinterpretation of what he said.

“And that is an incorrect quote,” he concluded.

It was after this press conference that things heated up. Gray approached Pavin, who was with his wife, Lisa, and started poking his finger towards the golfer’s chest.

Pavin later said Gray had called him “a liar” and “you’re going down”.

Fighting talk, worthy of a title fight face-off but when Gray appeared to be backing down, turning away from his adversary before Pavin called out to him: “You’re just going to walk away?”

And so the argument continued. And for the first time this year, we had a Tiger Woods controversy that even Tiger would have enjoyed.