Shotgun Start: Ryder Cup defense clouded by Tiger storm

May 28, 2010

Augusta Chronicle

If he doesnt make the team automatically, should Tiger Woods play in the Ryder Cup?

ELLING: If I were him, I would not touch an at-large pick with a 10-foot pole. Or a 10-foot Swede, a 9-foot Irishman or an 8-foot Brit. Corey Pavin has drawn some criticism from readers and fans since stating Sunday that Woods needs to play well and will not be automatically handed a spot based on past performance, which is exactly as it should be. Frankly, if Woods doesnt make the top eight, he ought to stay home and opt out of consideration for one of Pavins four captains picks. He will get chewed on like nobodys business as a charity pick in Wales, because the Ryder is the lone event where rooting against the other team has become almost tolerated. Woods appearance at St. Andrews in July should give us a taste of whats to come, but only a taste, because British Open fans are largely a considerate and complimentary lot and Woods has won twice at that site. Unless his game and c he has f both Woods and the Ryder would be best served by him staying home. He would be a scene-stealing sideshow, the reverse of the Darren Clarke feel-good story in Ireland four years ago. Dont know about you, Scott, but I dont want to have to eye every move the guy makes all week I would much rather watch an array of guys like Poulter, McIlroy, Garcia and Casey as they take on the Cup-holding Yanks.

MICHAUX: Im not sure the question is entirely fair. The parameters are a little too constrained. Setting the bar at the top eight is simply too harsh. What if Tiger is ninth or 10th or 12th on the list? Do you take No. 13 Jason Bohn instead? Really? Over the guy who went 5-0 in last years Presidents Cup? Over the No. 1 player in the world? Hey, I understand the guy brings some baggage. Tiger has never been fully invested in the national-team business. It doesnt stir his passion as it does others. But up to now he has always answered the call when asked and maybe now he realizes more than ever what its like to be part of a team. He certainly could use that kind of support in his life these days. Tiger is currently 11th in the Ryder Cup standings, and quite frankly the point is going to be moot because I personally believe he is going to breeze into an automatic berth by the time this major season is over. But if he doesnt and sits somewhere just outside that threshold, Pavin would be an idiot to withhold a captains pick from Woods. Hes going to need all the firepower he can get in Wales to retain the Cup against Colin Montgomeries motivated and talented European squad. If Pavin leaves the Tiger bullet in the chamber for the sake of some principle, then well finally be able to truly point the finger of blame at a captain when he loses.

Is there a reason or rhyme, nursery or otherwise, for the spike in wins by younger players in 2010?

ELLING: Well, heres a couple of reasons. Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh, who have combined to win the money title in each of the past 11 years, havent won a single tournament. In fact, neither has seriously contended on Sunday in 2010. So, at some point, somebody has to fill the void while the aging Fijian and ailing Woods try to regain their feet. The interesting part for me is that the next wave of players seems to finally be identifiable, because for a decade, there were plenty of doubts as to who was going to fill Woods shoes if and when he finally loses his licks. Of the nine players in their 20s to win thi Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim. Jason Day and Rory McIlroy, both 22 or younger, took their first scalps over the past month and have oodles of talent and charisma. Day, in fact, is downright effervescent off the course. Scott, at 29, is the only comparative elder in the group. By the way, just for the sake of clarity, Tiger Woods won 46 times in his 20s and Jack Nicklaus won 30 to rank 1-2 on that particular age scale.

MICHAUX: This is just the natural cycle of things. It has always been this way. One year youll get 14 first-time winners. The next year its loaded with veterans. This run of youngsters is only confirming that there is a lot of talent out there waiting to be tapped. And your point about Tiger and Vijay sitting out a few rounds and giving everyone else a little room to breathe is completely valid. For years they have hogged so much of the loot, claiming an average of more than 20 percent of the tours wins annually for themselves. Of course others are going to step it up when you give that percentage of opportunities back to the pool. Weve already identified every one of these young players as talented, so the fact they are living up to the potential shouldnt be considered much of a surprise. But for them to truly be considered “arrived,” they need to step up in majors and claim those. Thats still a stage where experience counts and the veterans own the spotlight. Get back to me when these 20-somethings start racking up majors like Tiger and Jack did when they were their age and we can discuss if the baton has been passed.

What did you make of English star Paul Caseys idea to establish some sort of golf historical preservation society to oversee design revisions made at older courses, to preserve things for future generations?

ELLING: Bloody brilliant, as they might say on the chat shows, except for the details. It seems to me that in golf, with its various constituencies (manufacturers, tours, players, amateurs, course owners, apparel makers, realty developers, ad nauseum) that the only real model for success is something close to a dictatorship. Can you imagine if a committee of golf major domos tried to tell the owner of Wentworth, apparently a guy with more money than common sense, how to redesign his course? That he couldnt dynamite the 18th hole, again, if he wants to? It brings to mind a funny story from the Masters this year, when I ran into Augusta National club chairman Billy Payne as he watched Tiger Woods play a Monday practice round. Augusta had just opened up a multimillion-dollar practice range that is closed to members except for a couple of weeks each year. I asked if he received any blowback from ANGC members over spending that kind of money on a range that, essentially, only the tour players could use. “You forget where you are,” Payne deadpanned, before cracking a smile. He was kidding, mostly, but the message was received. He makes the call. He is the final authority. Benevolent dictatorships work best in golf. Too bad they didnt have an old sage like MLBs Judge Landis riding shotgun over the entire game when the new technology came to the fore and made the old courses obsolete in the first place.

MICHAUX: Like you, I love this concept. Its just a little more difficult to implement. How can you tell a private club that they cant touch their own property? Augusta National may be an historical treasure, but its not the publics business what goes on inside those gates. As much as I wish, I have no right to order Billy Payne to chop down those trees that sullied the 11th hole. Where I see potential in this concept is with publicly accessed or owned facilities. Torrey Pines got a major overhaul that many argue ruined some of the charm of the original design. Pebble Beach got a new fifth hole that greatly improved the course. Pinehurst No. 2 is getting another retro facelift that looks promising. Some people wont like the new Open Championship tee on the Road Hole at St. Andrews, but it hardly defaces the course. If they tried to tear down the sheds or add a new greenside bunker, then wed have a problem. Point is, where do we draw the line? It would be nice to see some of those public places be deemed historical landmarks that cant be reconstructed or restricted without input and approval from the people they serve. And they certainly cant be shuttered by developers. Im thinking about places as architecturally relevant as Sharp Park in San Francisco or as socially significant as Lions Park in Austin, Texas. These are the things we need to fight to preserve, not whether or not the greens committee at Winged Foot has the right to reshape a green or add a new water feature.