Golf:The prospect of Tiger Woods putting manners on Rory McIlroy or the young Ryder Cup rookie taking down the world number one will not go away, but Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin scoffed at the notion of pre-arranging any such box office showdown this evening.
With the line “I would love to play Tiger” from McIlroy and an icy cold stare accompanied by and abrupt “me too” response from Woods in the last 24 hours, it means this personal tete-a-tete scenario keeps bubbling.
As Pavin sent his troops into the morning rain for the second official practice day at Celtic Manor, the American was asked if there was any possibility he and Montgomerie would pre-arrange a Woods-McIlroy showdown?
“I don’t think it’s in the spirit of the Ryder Cup and not the way pairings are supposed to happen,” said Pavin. “That’s not to say it couldn’t happen by chance but I don’t think it’s the right thing to do (to pre-arrange a particular match).”
“There are 12 players on each team that are all pretty darn good. Whatever match comes out is going to be well worth the admission price.”
That was a sentiment echoed by his European counterpart, who also admitted the tabloid furore over McIlroy’s comments had left the youngster down in the dumps. So much so, in fact, that Monty decided a spot of impromptu fancy dress might lift the Holywood stars spirits.
“I think Rory was quite upset with the comments that were made in the papers about this Tiger situation and it was getting a little bit out of hand tabloid-wise,” he explained. “We decided to find seven wigs for the caddies and the players that were playing with him and then to get Rory on the first tee and make him feel part of the team again.
“That was the right thing to do. He played magnificently today, so we’re all back on level terms again.”
Pavin, meanwhile, enlisted the held of
Major Dan Rooney – a former F-16 fighter pilot and PGA professional - to give a motivational speech to his troops talk last night. “He’s a patriot who also set up a foundation for troops and families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. He’s a very inspirational guy and I just thought it would be neat for him to come over and talk a bit to the guys.”
Returning to military theme might not be the best move for an individual heavily criticised for his blatant patriotism as a player during the 1991 matches at Kiawah Island, famously dubbed the “War on the Shore” and where Pavin and Steve Pate wore military-style baseball caps in support of the American troops who had just gone to war with Iraq.
Despite the poor conditions, Pavin kept with the early morning tee-times as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jeff Overton and Bubba Watson set off at 8.45am. They were followed Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler and Jim Furyk with Stewart Cink, Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan in the final fourball.
"Once I found out the pairing (with Woods, Stricker and Furyk) last night I told my caddie and we were both pretty pumped to be able to hang out with those guys," said the excitable rookie Fowler. Asked if he would be playing with or against Woods, he replied: "I don't know. I would love to have him as a partner, but I'd also love to beat him in a match."
If reading between the lines it’s interesting to note; Woods and Stricker, Dustin Johnson and Watson plus Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan have played together for the second consecutive day. Woods and Stricker won four points out of four together in the Presidents Cup last year.
The Europeans delayed the start of their practice until 10.45am due to the heavy overnight rain which spilled into today. Montgomerie kept with two obvious pairings as Graeme McDowell played once more with McIlroy and the Molinari brothers, Edoardo and Francesco, also played together for the second day.
Lee Westwood had Ross Fisher as his partner after playing with Martin Kaymer yesterday, while Pádraig Harrington was with Peter Hanson rather than Luke Donald. Donald became Kaymer's partner and Ian Poulter was with Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Both teams were only scheduled to play nine holes with individuals allowed to practice more if they wished.
Pairings for second practice session
EUROPE
10.30amMcDowell and McIlroy, Kaymer and Donald
10.45amHanson and Harrington, Fisher and Westwood
11.00amEdoardo Molinari and Francesco Molinari, Poulter and Jimenez
UNITED STATES
8.45amDustin Johnson and Mickelson, Overton and Watson
9amStricker and Woods, Fowler and Furyk
9.15amCink and Kuchar, Zach Johnson and Mahan.