Pavin makes Cink blunder

USA captain Corey Pavin forgot to introduce 2009 Open champion Stewart Cink when he presented his team at the opening ceremony of the 38th Ryder Cup.

He also appears to have made a similar blunder in forgetting to include Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan on his team-sheet for this morning’s opening fourball matches.

Poor old Cink was left stuck in his chair in front of a TV audience of millions and a packed amphitheatre of some 12,000 people close to the 18th green as his captain skipped straight past the major winner and name-checked last in the row Rickie Fowler before inviting the crowds to applaud his 2010 USA team.

Pavin recovered well, took his slice of humble pie and finally got around to acknowledging one of his own picks for the job of retaining the Ryder Cup.

Whether he will emerge so fortunately from his decision to omit veteran Furyk and 2008 Ryder revelation Mahan from his fourball line-up remains to be seen but in sending out rookies Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton together in the final match of the morning and into a cauldron of noise, he has shunned some considerably easier options.

That they drew European big guns Pádraig Harrington and Luke Donald only underscores the potential for US disaster at the end of the session but, as with all issues that have come across his bows this week, Pavin remained steadfast in his decision-making when questioned about Watson and Overton’s pairing.

“You know, those guys are so excited to get out there and play. I really wanted to get them out there in the morning, and to experience The Ryder Cup,” Pavin explained.

“I felt like if I waited to play them, that they would probably go crazy waiting. They are just champing at the bit to get out there. I wanted to get them out and playing, and both of those guys have a lot of firepower. They can make a lot of birdies, and I think it’s a great format for both of them.”

He passed off the Furyk omission with a joke, saying that the man who last Sunday collected $11.35 million (€8.3m) after winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup had “said he’s been tired. He was counting the money and he’s been very tired”.

When asked about Mahan being left on the bench, the captain gave a general reply, saying: “You have to sit somebody out. That’s a decision a captain has to make. If you have any better suggestions, I’d love to hear them.”