Declining Cup invite would be best Tiger could do for U.S.

Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin must invite Tiger Woods onto the U.S. team. We all know it. That's a given.

But why does Woods have to accept?

Tiger Woods isn't playing well enough and is too much of a distraction to help the U.S. team. (AP)

That's what I want to know. And that's what needs to be explored in the next few days -- not just by me, but by you and by other media sites. We need some noise here, whether it's online or on talk radio or anywhere else that voices are heard. As fans of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in particular, or golf in general, we need to turn up the volume to make the following request feel more like an order:

Just say no, Tiger.

Just. Say. No.

It's the perfect solution, see. Pavin saves face by extending an invitation to the No. 1-ranked player in golf. Woods saves face by being invited. And then Woods turns it down, declining to show up Oct. 1 at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales -- taking the classy way out of a sordid situation.

That's what Tiger Woods still is, you know. He's sordid. I'm making no judgments about his marital infidelity, because I'll be honest with you: He wasn't cheating on me. Mad at Tiger? Nah. I'm not mad at Tiger. Disappointed in him? Nope. He's not my son. He screwed up his personal life, and he screwed it up badly, but that's not my concern. It's not your concern, either, by the way.

But his impact on the U.S. Ryder Cup team? And on the Ryder Cup as a whole? That's my concern. As a fan of golf, and of any team representing the United States in international competition, that's a major concern of mine. Should be a concern of yours, too.

And if you think Tiger Woods would help the United States beat Europe in October, I would invite you to visit a doctor. A strong one. Because the doctor will need to pull your head out of your ass.

Tiger Woods on the U.S. Ryder Cup team is a disaster in every possible way. He hasn't shown that he's ready to win at that level, for one thing. He would be a distraction to his teammates. And he would overshadow a glorious international event.

Otherwise, Tiger in the Ryder Cup is a great idea!

Would Woods' inclusion in the Ryder Cup make for better television ratings? Sure it would, but I don't care for two reasons. One, I'll be watching whether he plays or not, as will most true fans of golf. The ratings boost would mean an addition of fair-weather golf fans, and that's irrelevant to me. The heck with those people.

My second reason for not caring about the TV ratings? The Ryder Cup will be televised by NBC. I don't work for NBC. So to hell with it.

Just being honest there.

Being honest here, too: Tiger Woods wouldn't be a boon to the U.S. team. He would be a detriment. Maybe this is where you're shrieking, How can the No. 1 player in the world be a detriment? Fine. Then this is where I remind you about visiting your doctor. Pulling your head out of ... you know. There.

Tiger Woods is No. 1 in the world in name only. That's not based on now. It's based on last year, and the year before. Since returning to action this year, distracted by scandal and even by a change in swing coaches, he has played in 10 events and finished in the top 10 only twice. He has missed a cut. He finished 46th in one event. He tied for 79th -- out of 80 players -- in another.

Woods played well at times this week, including a 65 on the first day. That gave him the lead entering the second round, but by Saturday afternoon he was barely in the top 50. On Sunday, Woods shot a 4-under 67 to finish at 7 under for the tournament.

So maybe you think that means he's back. One, no. It doesn't. It means that he's finally playing well enough to be considered inconsistent -- as opposed to merely crappy.

Two, who cares if he is back?

In the best of times, when he was winning every fourth tournament he entered and putting the fear of God into opponents, Woods was a mediocre Ryder Cup player. He has played in five Ryder Cups, and the United States has lost four of them. The USA is defending Cup champions, yes, but Woods didn't play last time because of injury.

That's his impact on the field as a team player. Definitely negligible, possibly negative.

Individually? Woods is in the record books in several categories, all of them bad. Among U.S. players, he's tied for third all-time for most matches lost at 13. His .440 winning percentage (10-13-2) is sixth worst among Americans with at least 15 matches.

And Woods produced those numbers when he was at his best and most intimidating. Today he is neither, and on top of that -- most importantly -- he is at his most distracting. Woods is always a spectacle on the course simply because of his stature, but now it's different. Now he's a sideshow. Planes fly over courses towing banners that mock him. Tabloids and gossip sites constantly dig for new dirt, and it's out there. Believe it. Even legitimate news continues to break, like Woods' divorce becoming official, a headline that dominated the sport for several days last week.

Here's a prediction, too: If Woods plays in the 2010 Ryder Cup, something enormous will happen off the course. The event is being held in Wales, and you know how English tabloids are. They're ridiculous. They're obscene. They have no couth or shame, and they will come up with something -- real or invented -- that will detract from the Ryder Cup and distract Woods and the rest of the American team.

Woods has to know that.

So when Corey Pavin asks him to play, Woods has to say no.