Why Pavin Will Choose Woods for Ryder Cup

A multiple choice exercise for those who care.

Question: Why will Corey Pavin select Tiger Woods as one of his captain's picks to play for the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team, which will be held Oct. 1-3 at the Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales?

(A) -- Because the slumping Tiger, who finished tied for 28th at the PGA Championships last week, is still No. 1 and he wants to represent his country in the international team competition.
("I feel like my game is obviously a lot better than it was (two weeks ago), " said Woods, referring to his career worst performance at the Bridgestone Invitational. "I'm looking forward to (Ryder Cup). Hopefully, Corey will pick me.")

(B) --- Because he's the most gifted golfer of all time, the highest paid professional athlete in the world, has held the No. 1 ranking for the most consecutive weeks and for the most total weeks and has been selected the PGA Player of the Year for a record 10 times.
(C) --- Because the humiliating sex scandal that destroyed his family life, reduced his endorsements and shattered his fantasy world revealed him to be just like us, a human being, capable of doing good and evil, capable of shooting 8-under, as well as 8-over, hoping he'll be strong enough to find the right balance, become a better father, while reclaiming the magical touch that made him a great golfer.
("No, I haven't practiced as much as I used to, nor should I," Woods said recently. "My kids are more important.")

(D) --- Because he's an African/Asian American, who has been the most dominant and charismatic golfer of this generation in a predominantly white country-club sport and if Woods isn't selected, millions of people throughout the world, who know nothing about golf but follow it on television only when Woods plays.

(What Woods is accomplishing in golf and what Venus and Serena Williams sisters are achieving in tennis is truly extraordinary. But they won't receive - in this life anyway - the full-blown accolades they so deserve for overcoming the odds, enduring, soaring and staying at the highest level of their professions.)

Though golf writers/analysts will offer variations of the choices presented as the correct answer ad nauseam - until Pavin makes his pick, the correct answer is D. Neither ESPN nor ABC nor the PGA would tolerate a Tiger-less Ryder Cup team. The ratings would be embarrassingly low and too much money would be loss. Golf still needs Woods, like it or not.

The experts' new talking point suggests that the Woods era is just about over anyway. There's a new wave of bold young pros (PGA Champion Martin Kaymer, Dustin Johnson, , Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, et al), coming through the pipe, ready and able to shove Woods, Phil Mickelson, and the rest of the old-timers off the stage. That may be. Nothing to do but to wait and see.