I believe there's no way Pavin won't take Tiger Woods. It's a guaranteed lock, so I'll pick Tiger, too. I'll also take Zach Johnson, who's had some good showings recently and was No. 11 in the Ryder Cup points list entering the Deutsche Bank Championship (the PGA of America, at Pavin's request, kept calculating points even after the eight automatic qualifiers were named).
After that, everything's a toss-up. There are no great picks and no bad picks among the players all the way down to No. 22 on the points list. So I'll look at possible partnerships and go with J.B. Holmes and Rickie Fowler as my other two choices. Holmes can partner Dustin Johnson and they can pound the golf ball into submission. Fowler can partner his good buddy Bubba Watson.
And even though Fowler is a rookie who has yet to win on the PGA Tour, he's a dynamic, exciting, buzz-worthy player. When (in my opinion) no players stand out from the pack, then I'll go with the guy who brings something fresh and exciting to the team.
So if I were captain, my four picks would be Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson, J.B. Holmes and Rickie Fowler.
Charley Hoffman? He won the Deutsche Bank by shooting 62 in the final round, and that's a very good argument in his favor. But if Hoffman - who failed to qualify for any of the four majors in 2010, and who's never finished a year ranked inside the Top 100 - is one of the 12 best golfers Pavin can gather, then Team Europe should start planning its victory party now.
Who are your choices for the four captain's picks?
Comments