Woods gets Pavin’s seal of approval for Ryder Cup

Tiger Woods’s traumatic year received a welcome boost yesterday when he was chosen by captain Corey Pavin as one of the four wildcard picks to round out the 12-man American Ryder Cup team.

Woods – whose form has dipped after being embroiled in a sex scandal that resulted in a costly divorce – was named as a captain’s pick along with Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink and Rickie Fowler for a clash against the European team on October 1-3 at Celtic Manor.

“I asked him (Woods) if he wanted to be part of the team and he said ‘absolutely’,” Pavin said during the announcement ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.

“I am happy that he is very excited about playing and he wants to be on a winning team.”

It will be the sixth Ryder Cup team for Woods, but the first one in which he needed a captain’s pick to represent his country.

The 14-time major winner Woods had finished atop the Ryder Cup standings every time since his first team in 1997 – though he missed the 2008 victory as he was recovering from knee surgery. He has 71 victories on the PGA Tour but a poor record in the Ryder Cup.

Woods and the three other wildcard picks will be joined by Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar, who all made the team on points after last month’s PGA Championship in Wisconsin.

“I’m very pleased to add these four to Team USA. My job is to put together the best team to represent the United States in the Ryder Cup,” said Pavin.

“I’m trying to get the best guys to win.”

While Woods’s selection was not a surprise, Pavin’s decision to include rising star Fowler was.

Fowler is the first PGA Tour rookie to make the American team and the first captain’s pick to have never won.

The 21-year-old has three runner-up finishes in his 11 months as a professional but had an excellent record as an amateur in the Walker Cup, winning seven of his eight matches.