The first thing to do?

His battling qualities are legendary, but the US Ryder Cup captain also has a reputation as a hothead and being thin-skinned. Simon Lewis wonders wether will he keep the latter emotions in check this weekend?

THEY used to call Corey Pavin “the Bulldog” when he was at the peak of his profession, winning a US Open and transforming himself into an emotional freight train at Ryder Cup time. Now aged 50, Pavin has distanced himself somewhat from the fiery character he was both on and off the golf course, but as United States Ryder Cup captain the bulldog could well be about to resurface at Celtic Manor.

This is a man who vividly recalls his Walker Cup debut in 1981 and the goosebumps it summoned on his skin at the sight of a Stars and Stripes flag. And Pavin is also the golfer who helped turn his 1991 Ryder Cup debut at Kiawah Island into the “War on the Shore” by donning a camoflauge hat during the competition in the aftermath of the first Gulf War.