Pavin's Pick or the PGA's Pick?
by mdbrigham on Sep 7, 2010 12:59 PM EDT
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Earlier this morning, Golf Channel's Charlier Rymer touted that the addition of Ricky Fowler to the Ryder Cup team would bring attract young eyes to the tournament. Along with a slight discrepancy on paper between Fowler and other prospects, the comment suggests that picking players to represent the red, white and blue is more about Team U.S.A's image than it is actually about beating the Europeans.
Like most Ryder Cup Teams, the Captain and the PGA try to mix the young guns with the grizzled vets - something Pavin and the system have definitely executed this year. You have Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson to compliment Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk. You have Cink....and you have Fowler. The Fowler pick, however, while not and outlandish last pick, seems to have more to do with the team's image than it does the teams accolades on paper. Could the PGA - who picked Pavin - have intervened? I think so. Let's be honest, Pavin hasn't shown the best leadership qualities throughout this process. You have the Jim Gray incident. He constantly tripped over his own words in interviews suggesting he lacks the necessary conviction you want in a Captain. That's the same type of person that would do whatever the PGA told him to do. This includes picking marketable players that are ratings boosters instead of the best options for Team. Otherwise, Ben Crane, Bo Van Pelt and would be headed to Wales.
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I assumed your headline referred to TW
rather than Fowler. Can possibly understand Bo Van Pelt but Ben Crane? Please – & he just m/c.
I wouldn’t put Ben Crane or Bo Van Pelt on a Ryder Cup team unless someone held a gun to my head.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroom, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
Yeah
I’m sure the Tour put on some pressure. I can think of 5 other guys that should have been picked but were not. Sad really.
Meanwhile, the Deutsche Bank was awesome and the weather held out. It was a shame to see Phil go sideways on Sunday. He had it all together earlier in the week. I’m staying in town until wednesday and then up to Chicago. I love it there as its a big Boxing town and it will be cool to see some old friends at the Chicago Boxing Club and Jabbs in uptown.
"pain is only weakness leaving the body"
We’ve already done a post with Paul Azinger in which he said it was only he and the players that made the decisions for his team.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroom, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Sep 7, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
The point was..
More about the PGA’s involvement and Pavin’s mediocre leadership than it was who Fowler beat out for the spot. Crane, van pelt, o’hair, watney, AK…..If it was all about winning the RC – which it unfortunately isn’t for the PGA – Fowler wouldn’t have been the top pick, right?
Semper Ubi Sub Ubi
I wouldn't have picked Fowler as my young gun...
but it is important to note that his RC points are all from this year. The aforementioned Van Pelt and Crane had two years to accrue points. Both beat Fowler by around 300 points which translates to around $300,000 (not an exact number, as points for major $ is doubled).
Also, Fowler was not fully exempt in the beginning of the season. He didn’t play The Masters or the US Open; Crane played all four majors this year and Van Pelt only missed Augusta.
If either player ‘should’ have Fowler’s spot, they should have done much better than Fowler, and they didn’t.
This is a very important point. Kind of like Edoardo Molinari, who didn’t have the full period to earn points either because he was on the challenge tour.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroom, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Sep 7, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm going along with Wendy...
her betting record is waaaay better than any of you guys…..anyone who gets 150 to 1 …ya gotta love it…..And lest we forget,,,,,,she has her Stinky Cinky once again….I can just see her doing her little jig behind the sofa……STUB
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