One, two, three, kick.
Minutes after the PGA of America on Thursday formally named Corey Pavin as the captain of the next U.S. Ryder Cup team, the organization's communications chief introduced some special celebrity guests. He noted that something this special could only happen in New York City, where Pavin was introduced.
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| Even the Rockettes' presence can't liven up the selection of Pavin. (Getty Images) |
After several awkward moments, it was obvious that the high-kicking dance troupe missed its cue -- just like the PGA did in picking Pavin over Paul Azinger.
They could have put Pavin in fishnets and a tutu, too, and it wouldn't have much mattered. His selection to serve as the 2010 captain in Wales has all the electricity of a string of Christmas lights with one bulb. So why not surround him with scantily-clad babes to spice it up a little, right?
Compared to the other guy in the captaincy mix, Pavin is a few blocks off-Broadway. The Rockettes were dressed in saucy Christmas garb and posed with Pavin afterward, leaving me feeling like a guy who received switches in his stocking instead of candy and assorted treats.
Check that: What I want is one big switch -- back to the 2008 captain.
Don't get me wrong. Pavin has been a conscientious and consummate professional in his two-plus decades as a tour player. But that's a long way from inspiring, entertaining or resurrecting the U.S. hopes. What, equally low-wattage former PGA champion Shaun Micheel wasn't available?
The Ryder Cup is an exhibition. It's all about entertainment. The PGA, which runs the cup in America, could have had two more years of Azinger at the helm and instead went with a charisma-challenged guy best known for his tenacity. Mostly because it was his turn?
What do Curtis Strange, Hal Sutton, Tom Lehman and Azinger have in common? Well, Lehman is no loose cannon, really, but each of the recent U.S. captains had the ability to tell tall tales, set the hook in fans and make the Ryder interesting. Oh, and Azinger led the team to a rare victory. That's not just an accidental incidental.
Pavin can claim a U.S. Open among his 15 victories. Beyond that, his greatest qualification for the position seems to be his age, 49. He fits perfectly into what has become a PGA template for captains, common sense and goosebumps be damned.
Pressed for an explanation as to why Azinger was stiffed as he sought to become the first repeat captain since Ben Hogan more than a half-century ago, the PGA whiffed completely on logic, too.
"Paul did an incredible job and certainly after the victory, you had to consider the possibility of Paul coming back," PGA president Jim Remy said. "But when we look at those who have earned the right to be Ryder Cup captains, as we look down the road, and look at the ripple effect that repeating a captain may have on history, really we felt that Corey was the right man for the job at this time and that Corey had earned that right to be captain."
