Woods Strengthens His Ryder Cup Case

If player performance in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs is a good predictor for United States success in the Ryder Cup, as the captain Corey Pavin says it is, then Pavin should be pleased by the results from the Barclays on Sunday.

A solid Sunday showing by Tiger Woods, who shot 67 and finished tied for 12th, made it a little easier for Pavin to narrow down the field for his four captain's picks. And Matt Kuchar's victory, along with strong finishes by Steve Stricker (tied for third) and Dustin Johnson (tied for ninth) showed continued good form by players who had already qualified for the United States team.

This will not move the United States to favorite from underdog in the biennial matches, which begin Oct. 1 at Celtic Manor in Wales.

But Sunday did help to further clarify why Woods belongs on the team as he showed some improvement in areas of his game that have been lacking this year.

Most significant was his putting, both his reads and his pace. Just as he had when he shot a first-round 65 on Thursday, Woods took only 27 putts. He one-putted for par from significant distances at the fifth and the sixth holes and showed some of his old ability to focus during a distraction at the ninth.

Just as he was about to start his downswing, an errant shot crashed into the trees on an adjacent hole and Woods stopped his swing. He then hit a perfect fade with a 7-iron to a back-right hole position from 165 yards, and made a speedy downhill putt from 15 feet for birdie.

His seven-under-par total was his lowest in relation to par since he shot 11 under at the Masters, his first tournament back from his self-imposed exile from golf. What he displayed inside the ropes this past week looked more like what he used in compiling 71 PGA Tour wins than anything all year, and he is enthused about the trend.

"Very pleased," Woods said. "And I found something in my stroke today which was good. I was warming up. And I went with it. And I hit a lot of good putts today.

(discount golf)

"The next three events, the next three venues I've won on. So I'm going to three venues I'm very familiar with and looking forward to it."

That is the good news for Pavin. The more sobering side of the results is that of the 12 potential captain's picks among the top 20 on the Ryder Cup points list, five missed the cut at the Barclays: Anthony Kim (No. 9), Lucas Glover (No. 10), Bo Van Pelt (No. 13), Ricky Barnes (No. 16) and J. B. Holmes (No. 19).

Other than Woods, No. 15 Ben Crane, who finished tied for 12th, and No. 14 Stewart Cink, who was tied for 15th, none of the other potential picks finished among the top 20 at the Barclays. That could mean Pavin will widen his list to include other players whom he could be considering for reasons other than current form, perhaps even making a pick more surprising than Paul Azinger did in his selection of Chad Campbell from the 20th position in 2008.

In any event, the focus on the captain's selections from now until Pavin announces his choices Sept. 7 in New York turns up the volume in the weeks before the Ryder Cup. For good or ill, this is what lifts the competition out of golf's normally staid atmosphere and into the rough-and-tumble world of controversy, second-guessing and ill feelings.

For example, the Englishman Paul Casey, who tied with Woods and Crane in 12th place at the Barclays, is ninth in the world rankings but was not one of the final three players selected for the 12-man European squad by Colin Montgomerie. Instead, Montgomerie chose the Englishman Luke Donald, who was No. 10 in the world rankings, Padraig Harrington of Ireland, who was No. 18, and Edoardo Molinari of Italy, who was ranked 21st.

Harrington, who has not won in two years, is a debatable pick, but as an experienced hand and a three-time major winner he provides experience to a team that has six rookies. But one thing the selection does say is that, for the first time, a European team is strong enough that a captain can overlook the No. 9-ranked player in the world and one of Europe's best Ryder Cup players.

"I probably need time to take it in," Casey said. "Simple fact is I'm not on the team. And I think Europe, they've got an unbelievable team. I wish them the best for the match, simple as that.

"I'm not going to stand here and sort of plead a case for why I should be on the team. It's done and dusted. I tried my hardest and I didn't make it."

Words like those will be heard again before the teams meet in October. With seven players being chosen â€” three by Montgomerie and four by Pavin â€” there is plenty of room for second-guessing and debate before the competition begins.