Pavin rallies United States troops

The United States are confident of ending a 17-year losing streak on European soil when the most ferocious rivalry in golf resumes at the 38th Ryder Cup today.

A US line-up spearheaded by a fiercely determined Tiger Woods will attempt to become the first American squad to win in Europe since 1993, when a team captained by Tom Watson triumphed at The Belfry.

Corey Pavin – a veteran of that last distant success – is captaining the Americans in this year’s showdown at Celtic Manor with Europe’s campaign being masterminded by Ryder Cup stalwart Colin Montgomerie.

Montgomerie has been disinclined to play down Europe’s chances of success, stating bluntly that the tag of favourites is something that sits comfortably with his team, that includes no fewer than six rookies.

“The rankings, the talent, being the home side, the fact we are undefeated here since 1993, I can’t deny we’re favourites and I don’t want to,” Montgomerie said. “I want to prove why we are and win it.”

Pavin initially insisted the Americans – who recorded a crushing five-point victory over Europe at Valhalla two years ago – were underdogs.

However, as tee-off for today’s opening fourballs and foursomes drew closer, the wily American sought to talk up his team’s chances.

“The media has installed that more than anything,” said Pavin on Wednesday. “I think everything I read says we are underdogs. I think both teams are very equal. We are very strong teams.”

Pavin will hope the bear pit atmosphere of the Ryder Cup will bring the best out of Woods, chosen as one of four US wildcards after a dreadful run of form following turmoil in his private life.

The American captain is also delighted that Woods has been given additional motivation courtesy of Europe’s rising star Rory McIlroy, who said he would love to play the out-of-form world number one.

When Woods was asked this week for his response to McIlroy’s remarks, his answer was an ominous-sounding “Me too”.

“I think other people have said things like that to Tiger in the past and have maybe regretted it,” Pavin reflected.

“Anything that gets players fired up is always a positive thing for that player who is getting fired up. I know that Tiger is aware of the comment.”

Pavin insisted meanwhile that his team will be ready to cope with typically European conditions... rain is forecast throughout the three days of play.

“I don’t have any issue with anybody dealing with bad weather,” said Pavin, who used a US combat veteran to rally his troops earlier this week.

“I think what the military does is amazing,” Pavin said.

“I want these guys to be accountable to each other and have each other’s backs. And basically that’s what happens in the military.”

Ballesteros inspiration

Montgomerie by contrast looked to Ryder Cup colossus Severiano Ballesteros to provide inspiration.

Ballesteros, unable to travel to Wales as he recovers from a brain tumour, roused Europe’s players in an emotion-fuelled conference call on Tuesday evening, Montgomerie revealed.

“I was just after some passion, and by God, I got it,” Montgomerie said of Ballesteros, a veteran of five successful Ryder Cup campaigns.

Montgomerie will rely on a trusted band of Ryder Cup veterans who include Lee Westwood, three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter.

Yet Montgomerie also has the luxury of being able to include reigning US Open champion (Graeme McDowell) the reigning PGA Champion (Martin Kaymer) as well as the in-form McIlroy.

But the pivotal figure for Europe may well be Montgomerie himself, who is seeking to mastermind a European triumph after the gaffe-prone effort of his predecessor Nick Faldo at Valhalla two years ago.

“The course may be to our advantage, but it will be the captain who gets most out of his team who will walk away with the trophy,” Harrington said.

“If Monty can get his pairings right and gets it going I think we will win, and vice versa with Corey Pavin. The captain can be decisive.”

Montgomerie also wants to win fairly. He has pointedly resisted the temptation to tailor the 7,400-yard layout to accentuate the strengths of his team – in contrast to US skipper Paul Azinger two years ago, who instructed Valhalla officials to widen fairways, trim rough and even trim trees to suit his big hitters.

Format guide for Ryder Cup

Match Play
• All games are played under Match Play rules, where the result of each game is determined by the number of holes won. The order of play for the first two days is fourballs in the morning and foursomes in the afternoon. The final day’s play will be in singles format.

Foursomes (four groups of two two-man teams)
• “Foursomes” play is a match where two golfers play together against two other golfers and each team plays one ball. The golfers play alternate shots (player A hits tee shot, player B hits second shot, etc) until the hole is played out. Team members alternate playing the tee shots, with one golfer hitting the tee shot on odd-numbered holes, and the other hitting the tee shot on the even-numbered holes. The team with the better score wins the hole. Should the two teams tie for best score, the hole is halved.

Fourball (four groups of two two-man teams)
• “Fourball” play is a match in which each member of the two-man teams plays their own ball. Four balls are in play per hole with each of the four players competing. The team whose player has the lowest score on that hole wins the hole. Should players from each team tie for the best score, the hole is halved.

Singles (12 groups of two one-man teams)
• “Singles” is a match in which one player competes against another player. A player wins the match when he is up by more holes than there are holes remaining to play.

Pairings
• Each Team Captain independently submits the order of play for his team to the appointed tournament official. The lists from each Captain are matched, resulting in the “Pairings”. Players in pairings can be modified by the Team Captains only if a player is ill or injured. Pairings are subject to change and should not be considered final until play begins for a particular match.