After a day in which he was humiliated on the course by the European team, Tiger Woods was delivered a fresh dose of embarrassment from his own captain.
Woods and partner Steve Stricker were obliterated by Lee Westwood and Luke Donald on Day 3 of a rain-ravaged Ryder Cup, as the United States managed to collect just half a point out of a possible six at Celtic Manor on Sunday to trail 9.5 points to 6.5.
But the biggest blow for Woods came deep into the murky evening, as U.S. captain Corey Pavin released his order for Monday’s decisive singles matches. Woods was buried at No. 8 in the order, a position that made it clear Pavin has no confidence in his ability to handle the pressure of the rescheduled final day.
By operating from the middle of the order, Woods will avoid the strongest players in the European lineup, with Europe skipper Colin Montgomerie having top-loaded his roster. Instead, Woods will face Ryder Cup rookie Francesco Molinari.
Phil Mickelson suffered a similar snub, being dumped down at No. 10 following a dismal display with three defeats in three matches in pairs play.
Montgomerie struggled to contain his amazement – and delight – at Pavin’s bizarre selection decision.
“I am trying to be as diplomatic as possible throughout this week, and I continue to be that way,” said Montgomerie. “But it does surprise me that Match 8 and Match 10 contain the No. 1 and [No.] two in the world.”
Tiger Woods and his partner, Steve Stricker, were crushed in the third session of the Ryder Cup by Lee Westwood and Luke Donald.
Pavin defended his decision, but in reality it was another sign of weakness from a U.S. team that made a decent start to the event but has let control of the Ryder Cup slip away without much of a fight.
Europe’s total domination of Sunday’s play, backed by a fiercely vocal home crowd, left the Americans shell-shocked and Pavin fighting to retain his credibility as captain.
Even the dropped half-point gave the hosts a lift, with Italian brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari snatching a point with a dramatic birdie on the 18th hole to claim a share of the spoils against Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar and tilt even more momentum their team’s way.
Whereas Europe has found heroes from even unlikely sources and been backed by strong leadership from the top, the Americans have had nothing of the sort.
The feel-good factor sparked by Woods’ return to something approaching reasonable form – he claimed two victories with Stricker in the first two sessions – was swept away Sunday by Westwood and Donald’s crushing win.
Woods’ mindset, ripped apart by the murky and much-examined details of his private life, simply does not seem steady enough to withstand the kind of relentless pressure the Ryder Cup brings.
He will be a strong favorite against Molinari on Monday, but with Europe needing only five points to regain the trophy, matters already could have been decided before his match reaches its critical stage.
“I think it is a great spot for Tiger,” argued Pavin. “If the matches go well to start off, I think the eighth slot is very important.”
Perhaps it is Woods’ fragile mental state that has caused Pavin to treat his players with kid gloves, instead of using the kind of tough love enforced by Montgomerie. It was at Monty’s insistence that more passion and crowd involvement was shown by Europe during the final pairs session – and that shift could prove to be the telling difference in this year’s event.
Montgomerie has been quick to praise and support his players, but equally swift to expose any negative thought or action and remedy it effectively. Not so with Pavin, who used his press conference Sunday night to defend the performance of his team and insist there was nothing that needed to be changed.
“I don’t need to change their attitude,” said Pavin. “They have a great attitude. I am proud of all of them. They are playing as hard as they can, with passion and pride.”
Despite Pavin’s words, the actions of his team did not back up such claims.
The downcast demeanor of Woods and Mickelson, with countless tournament victories yet little in the way of Ryder Cup pedigree behind them, can’t be helping matters. When Pavin looks for leaders capable of sparking a revival, it will be Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk who lead off the charge in the singles.
Woods and Mickelson have spoken only sporadically to the media since arriving in Wales, and what they have said has not inspired any real confidence.
Referring to the uphill battle the Americans now face, Mickelson insisted the battle is not over yet. “There have been special days before and now we are going to need another one,” he said.
“We have done it before and there is no reason why we can’t do it again,” said Woods, when asked about the chances of a comeback.
Except that there is a reason as to why not this time. Plenty of them, in fact. A weak captain and two stars who have been anonymous rather than inspirational this weekend equals a catalogue of disaster for the United States.
Woods and partner Steve Stricker were obliterated by Lee Westwood and Luke Donald on Day 3 of a rain-ravaged Ryder Cup, as the United States managed to collect just half a point out of a possible six at Celtic Manor on Sunday to trail 9.5 points to 6.5.
But the biggest blow for Woods came deep into the murky evening, as U.S. captain Corey Pavin released his order for Monday’s decisive singles matches. Woods was buried at No. 8 in the order, a position that made it clear Pavin has no confidence in his ability to handle the pressure of the rescheduled final day.
By operating from the middle of the order, Woods will avoid the strongest players in the European lineup, with Europe skipper Colin Montgomerie having top-loaded his roster. Instead, Woods will face Ryder Cup rookie Francesco Molinari.
Phil Mickelson suffered a similar snub, being dumped down at No. 10 following a dismal display with three defeats in three matches in pairs play.
Montgomerie struggled to contain his amazement – and delight – at Pavin’s bizarre selection decision.
“I am trying to be as diplomatic as possible throughout this week, and I continue to be that way,” said Montgomerie. “But it does surprise me that Match 8 and Match 10 contain the No. 1 and [No.] two in the world.”
Tiger Woods and his partner, Steve Stricker, were crushed in the third session of the Ryder Cup by Lee Westwood and Luke Donald.
Pavin defended his decision, but in reality it was another sign of weakness from a U.S. team that made a decent start to the event but has let control of the Ryder Cup slip away without much of a fight.
Europe’s total domination of Sunday’s play, backed by a fiercely vocal home crowd, left the Americans shell-shocked and Pavin fighting to retain his credibility as captain.
Even the dropped half-point gave the hosts a lift, with Italian brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari snatching a point with a dramatic birdie on the 18th hole to claim a share of the spoils against Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar and tilt even more momentum their team’s way.
Whereas Europe has found heroes from even unlikely sources and been backed by strong leadership from the top, the Americans have had nothing of the sort.
The feel-good factor sparked by Woods’ return to something approaching reasonable form – he claimed two victories with Stricker in the first two sessions – was swept away Sunday by Westwood and Donald’s crushing win.
Woods’ mindset, ripped apart by the murky and much-examined details of his private life, simply does not seem steady enough to withstand the kind of relentless pressure the Ryder Cup brings.
He will be a strong favorite against Molinari on Monday, but with Europe needing only five points to regain the trophy, matters already could have been decided before his match reaches its critical stage.
“I think it is a great spot for Tiger,” argued Pavin. “If the matches go well to start off, I think the eighth slot is very important.”
Perhaps it is Woods’ fragile mental state that has caused Pavin to treat his players with kid gloves, instead of using the kind of tough love enforced by Montgomerie. It was at Monty’s insistence that more passion and crowd involvement was shown by Europe during the final pairs session – and that shift could prove to be the telling difference in this year’s event.
Montgomerie has been quick to praise and support his players, but equally swift to expose any negative thought or action and remedy it effectively. Not so with Pavin, who used his press conference Sunday night to defend the performance of his team and insist there was nothing that needed to be changed.
“I don’t need to change their attitude,” said Pavin. “They have a great attitude. I am proud of all of them. They are playing as hard as they can, with passion and pride.”
Despite Pavin’s words, the actions of his team did not back up such claims.
The downcast demeanor of Woods and Mickelson, with countless tournament victories yet little in the way of Ryder Cup pedigree behind them, can’t be helping matters. When Pavin looks for leaders capable of sparking a revival, it will be Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk who lead off the charge in the singles.
Woods and Mickelson have spoken only sporadically to the media since arriving in Wales, and what they have said has not inspired any real confidence.
Referring to the uphill battle the Americans now face, Mickelson insisted the battle is not over yet. “There have been special days before and now we are going to need another one,” he said.
“We have done it before and there is no reason why we can’t do it again,” said Woods, when asked about the chances of a comeback.
Except that there is a reason as to why not this time. Plenty of them, in fact. A weak captain and two stars who have been anonymous rather than inspirational this weekend equals a catalogue of disaster for the United States.
