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Reporters from around the Tribune Co. weigh in on the topic. Check back throughout the day for more responses and feel free to leave a comment of your own.
Tom Yantz, Hartford Courant
As much as I hate to disappoint Jim “You’re Going Down” Gray, U.S. captain Corey Pavin should not select Tiger Woods.
Pavin’s picks should be for those players who merit the honor and can help the U.S. team the most in Wales.
Woods isn’t in that class.
Yes, he played better at the PGA Championship, a tie for 28th, compared to the week before at the Bridgestone Invitational where he beat one player in the field of 80. And yes, he’s still No. 1 in the world rankings.
But he ranked last in driving accuracy (21 of 56 fairways) at the PGA Championship. That’s not what you want in Ryder Cup match play, especially in the alternate-shot format. And his putting — an essential for Ryder Cup birdies and success — has been substandard.
Yes, Woods is No. 12 in Ryder Cup points, so it could follow that he’ll be one of Pavin’s final four picks. But most of Woods’ points came last year.
This year he’s not the same Woods and not Ryder Cup-worthy.
Photo: Tiger Woods tips his cap to the gallery after finishing his final round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits on Sunday. Credit: Jeff Haynes / Reuters
