- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: GOLF - In-form Jim Furyk left out of first Ryder Cup session
- Date: 1st October 2010
- Summary: CELTIC MANOR RESORT, NEWPORT, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM (SEPTEMBER 30, 2010) (REUTERS) NEWS CONFERENCE WITH AMERICAN TEAM CAPTAIN COREY PAVIN IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN TEAM CAPTAIN COREY PAVIN, SAYING: "You know I like the pairings. Every match is going to be a great match. They are all going to be entertaining, they are all going to be fun. they are all going to be difficult to predict what happens, so it's just a mater of going out there and playing some golf tomorrow and see who makes the putts and who makes the birdies in the morning." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN TEAM CAPTAIN COREY PAVIN, SAYING: "I'm glad teh opening speech is over. I only screwed up once so that wasn't too bad. Is that ok? I only forgot one player it could have been two, it could have been worse." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN TEAM CAPTAIN COREY PAVIN, SAYING: "I think we had a lot of strong hitters on the team, a lot of guys that make a lot of birdies and I wanted to get guys out there (inaudible) who make a lot of birdies. It's a very aggressive game tomorrow morning, so I just look for guys who can get a ball in the whole very quickly." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN TEAM CAPTAIN COREY PAVIN, SAYING: "My intention is to get everybody out tomorrow. I'll just see how the morning goes and I will decide 45 minutes before the first tee time in the afternoon exactly what am I going to do. But I am hoping to get everybody out there tomorrow." EUROPEAN CAPTAIN COLIN MONTGOMERIE DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN CAPTAIN COLIN MONTGOMERIE, SAYING: "I feel that the honour should be given to Lee Westwood to hit the first shot tomorrow morning for Europe. i know that Phil and Dustin will hit the first two shots, but the first shot for Europe is an important shot and I think the honour should be given to lee Westwood. We spoke about it this morning and that was only right to do." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN CAPTAIN COLIN MONTGOMERIE, SAYING: "I was expecting Tiger to go first or fourth. I think Tiger being hidden is a different move but as we all know every point is important wherever it might be. Ian Poulter left the stage as I set out there anxious to get going already. He can't wait for 8.15." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN CAPTAIN COLIN MONTGOMERIE, SAYING: "Momentum has to gained early on and then continued through the afternoon to gain the lead on Friday evening and that is my goal. My goal is to lead Friday evening if at all possible and it is all set up for that and we gain momentum in the morning that is the plan and we hold on to it in the afternoon to give ourselves a lead going into Saturday. That is the plan of teh attack here." MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) EUROPEAN CAPTAIN COLIN MONTGOMERIE, SAYING: "I don't know Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington would not expect to play two rookies in the last game. They wouldn't have expected that. They are doing. Bubba Watson had a fantastic year as has Jeff Overton both qualified for the team." MEDIA
- Embargoed: 15th October 2010 22:43
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- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Sport
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- Story Text: United States captain Corey Pavin sprang a surprise when he omitted in-form Jim Furyk for Friday's (October 1) opening fourball matches at the 38th Ryder Cup.
World number five Furyk, a veteran of six previous Ryder Cups and one of the steadiest players in the game, clinched Tour Championship and FedExCup honours in Atlanta on Sunday and was a possible partner for Tiger Woods.
Pavin instead opted to send out world number one Woods with fourth-ranked Steve Stricker for the Cup holders in the third match of the day against Britain's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.
Woods, who has struggled for form this year and failed to qualify automatically for the U.S. team, gelled superbly with Stricker at the 2009 Presidents Cup where they were unbeaten in four matches.
"You know I like the pairings. Every match is going to be a great match. They are all going to be entertaining, they are all going to be fun. they are all going to be difficult to predict what happens, so it's just a mater of going out there and playing some golf tomorrow and see who makes the putts and who makes the birdies in the morning," Pavin told reporters at the news conference.
At the opening ceremony Pavin, unfortunately, managed to miss out former British Open champion Stewart Cink when introducing his players and though he made light of the gaffe with a laughing apology.
"I'm glad teh opening speech is over. I only screwed up once so that wasn't too bad. Is that ok. I only forgot one player it could have been two, it could have been worse," he said.
In Friday's opening game, world number two Phil Mickelson and big-hitting Dustin Johnson will take on Britain's Lee Westwood and Germany's Martin Kaymer in a mouth-watering encounter.
Four-times major winner Mickelson and Johnson are birdie machines while world number three Westwood has been arguably the most consistent player in the game over the last 18 months.
"I think we had a lot of strong hitters on the team, a lot of guys that make a lot of birdies and I wanted to get guys out there (inaudible) who make a lot of birdies. It's a very aggressive game tomorrow morning, so I just look for guys who can get a ball in the whole very quickly," Pavin said.
Pavin's counterpart Colin Montgomerie said European number one Westwood had asked to go out first and that the Englishman deserved the honour of hitting Europe's first shot and could handle the pressure.
"I feel that the honour should be given to Lee Westwood to hit the first shot tomorrow morning for Europe. I know that Phil and Dustin will hit the first two shots, but the first shot for Europe is an important shot and I think the honour should be given to lee Westwood. We spoke about it this morning and that was only right to do," Montgomerie said.
He then said he was surprised at a line-up that featured Woods in the third group against Poulter and Fisher.
"I was expecting Tiger to go first or fourth. I think Tiger being hidden is a different move but as we all know every point is important wherever it might be. Ian Poulter left the stage as I set out there anxious to get going already. He can't wait for 8.15," Montgomerie said.
Northern Irishmen Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, a widely expected partnership, will take on Cink and Matt Kuchar in the second match.
In the final fourball, Britain's Luke Donald and Irishman Padraig Harrington take on U.S. rookies Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton.
When asked about the plan for Friday, Montgomerie said:
"Momentum has to be gained early on and then continued through the afternoon to gain the lead on Friday evening and that is my goal. My goal is to lead Friday evening if at all possible and it is all set up for that and we gain momentum in the morning that is the plan and we hold on to it in the afternoon to give ourselves a lead going into Saturday. That is the plan of teh attack here," he said.
Montgomerie said he was also surprised Pavin had opted to send out rookies Watson and Overton in the final group.
"I don't know Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington would not expect to play two rookies in the last game. They wouldn't have expected that. They are doing. Bubba Watson had a fantastic year as has Jeff Overton both qualified for the team," he said.
The U.S. won the Ryder Cup for the first time in nine years with a 16-1/2 to 11-1/2 victory over Europe at Valhalla in 2008 under the captaincy of Paul Azinger.
Montgomerie's powerful team, however, are widely viewed as favourites for the 38th edition with the Americans not having won the trophy on foreign soil since 1993. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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