KIDWCKED
08-11-2010, 09:40 PM
c/p
By Bob Harig
ESPN.com
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- Saying it would be disrespectful to other potential members of the team, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin on Wednesday denied that Tiger Woods will automatically get one of the squad's four at-large selections if he fails to make the team on points.
This week's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits is the last qualifying event to determine eight team members. Pavin then will select four more players Sept. 7 to fill out the 12-man squad that will take on Europe, Oct. 1-3, at Celtic Manor in Wales.
"There's nobody that's promised any picks right now," said Pavin, who later got into a heated exchange with Golf Channel contributor Jim Gray. Gray had first reported that Pavin, while in the Whistling Straits clubhouse Tuesday, said he had assured Woods a spot. "It would be disrespectful to everybody that's trying to make the team. I've got quite a few people I'm looking at.
"I would not disrespect any of the players that are potential players on the team, and obviously there was misinterpretation of what I said."
Pavin described Wednesday's incident with Gray in detail. Gray approached Pavin after a news conference Wednesday, and they stood no more than a foot apart, facing off. Pavin's wife, Lisa, pulled out her mobile phone and recorded the conversation.
"He went nuts when he came in here," Pavin told reporters. "He said, 'You're going down,' then he turned around and walked away and I'm like, 'Down for what? You making stuff up?' "
Gray is a former ESPN employee who was involved in, but not hired by ESPN, for "The Decision," a program in which LeBron James announced he was joining the Miami Heat as a free agent.
Gray reported Tuesday evening that Pavin told him he would pick Woods for the Ryder Cup if he didn't make the team on his own at the PGA Championship. He quoted Pavin as saying -- it was not on camera -- "Of course I'm going to. He's the best player in the world."
By Bob Harig
ESPN.com
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- Saying it would be disrespectful to other potential members of the team, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin on Wednesday denied that Tiger Woods will automatically get one of the squad's four at-large selections if he fails to make the team on points.
This week's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits is the last qualifying event to determine eight team members. Pavin then will select four more players Sept. 7 to fill out the 12-man squad that will take on Europe, Oct. 1-3, at Celtic Manor in Wales.
"There's nobody that's promised any picks right now," said Pavin, who later got into a heated exchange with Golf Channel contributor Jim Gray. Gray had first reported that Pavin, while in the Whistling Straits clubhouse Tuesday, said he had assured Woods a spot. "It would be disrespectful to everybody that's trying to make the team. I've got quite a few people I'm looking at.
"I would not disrespect any of the players that are potential players on the team, and obviously there was misinterpretation of what I said."
Pavin described Wednesday's incident with Gray in detail. Gray approached Pavin after a news conference Wednesday, and they stood no more than a foot apart, facing off. Pavin's wife, Lisa, pulled out her mobile phone and recorded the conversation.
"He went nuts when he came in here," Pavin told reporters. "He said, 'You're going down,' then he turned around and walked away and I'm like, 'Down for what? You making stuff up?' "
Gray is a former ESPN employee who was involved in, but not hired by ESPN, for "The Decision," a program in which LeBron James announced he was joining the Miami Heat as a free agent.
Gray reported Tuesday evening that Pavin told him he would pick Woods for the Ryder Cup if he didn't make the team on his own at the PGA Championship. He quoted Pavin as saying -- it was not on camera -- "Of course I'm going to. He's the best player in the world."