Apart
from deciding what colour shirt to wear on what day, the two most important functions
of a Ryder Cup captain are to complete 12-man teams with two captain's picks and
come up with a winning combination.
For
Ben Crenshaw and Mark James, their jobs are half done.
James
must figure out whom to pair on a European team that features three Spaniards,
two Swedes and a Frenchman. Crenshaw has the top two players in the world at his
disposal. Does he dare put Tiger Woods and David Duval together?
``It's
one of the toughest jobs as captain,'' Crenshaw said. ``My biggest thing right
now is the pairings. I'm thinking all the while about putting players together.''
Crenshaw and James
could always consider what Jack Nicklaus did for a practice round in the Presidents
Cup -- throw four balls in the air, the two that landed closest to each other
were a team.
Or
they could take the following suggestions to really liven up the Ryder Cup:
Paul Lawrie and Jean
Van de Velde
This would be a great alternate-shot pairing, the silly Frenchman who squandered
the British Open, and the unassuming Scot who benefited from the Van de Velde's
follies.
Jarmo
Sandelin and Lee Westwood
If there is any contention on the European team, this is it. In the Lancome Trophy
last year, Westwood refused to sign Sandelin's card because he thought the Swede's
ball moved at address. Sandelin says it didn't and prevailed. What better way
for them to kiss and make up than for James to have them spend three hours together
on the golf course?
Sergio
Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez
Two Spanish rookies separated at birth by a mere 16 years. After they win, Jimenez
can help the 19-year-old Garcia with his homework.
Darren
Clarke and Padraig Harrington
Clarke is a Protestant from Northern Ireland. Harrington is a Catholic from the
Republic of Ireland. Maybe this could bring peace to the Emerald Isle for a day
or two.
Jim Furyk
and Tiger Woods
Woods went through a celebrated break-up with caddie Mike ``Fluff'' Cowan. Now
that Fluff is with Furyk, he could romp the fairways with Tiger again. A U.S.
victory means Fluff gets to do another commercial.
Payne
Stewart and David Duval
One is the most passionate American when it comes to the Ryder Cup. The other
referred to it as an exhibition.
Justin
Leonard and Phil Mickelson
Leonard still hasn't forgotten the time a pro-Mickelson gallery cheered his bad
shots during a playoff loss to Mickelson in Phoenix. That won't be a problem if
they're on the same team.
Sadly,
the singles matches on Sunday are a blind draw. Perhaps fate can intervene and
serve up these delightful pairings:
Jose
Maria Olazabal vs. Steve Pate
The two most injury-prone players in Boston, this match will be recorded as halve
by default. Pate got hurt in a car accident during the '91 Ryder Cup and once
hit a deer while riding a bike. Olazabal recovered from foot problems to win the
Masters -- and then break his hand hitting a hotel wall at the U.S. Open.
Stewart vs. Westwood
or Clarke
Stewart
stirred the pot by saying, ``On paper, they should be caddying for us.'' During
the PGA Championship, Westwood jokingly retrieved Stewart's balls on the putting
green, and Clarke carried his bag down the first fairway in a practice round.
Colin Montgomerie vs.
Duval
A perfect
pair. Both are considered the best players on each side of the Atlantic who have
never won a major, both are refreshingly honest and constantly misunderstood.
Duval gets ripped for his position on Ryder Cup money. Monty gets ripped because
he's Monty.
Tom
Lehman vs. Any Spaniard
In both his previous Ryder Cup singles, Lehman has defeated Seve Ballesteros and
Ignacio Garrido. Neither match got past the 15th hole.
Sandelin
vs. Mark O'Meara
Sandelin belatedly accused O'Meara of cheating in the '97 Lancome Trophy by replacing
his ball a quarter-inch closer to the hole. O'Meara won by a stroke over Sandelin,
who demanded eight months later that he renounce his title. He referred to O'Meara
as ``Mark-it-nearer.''
Sandelin
vs. Mickelson
They exchanged heated words in the 1996 Dunhill Cup, where the Swede would ``shoot''
the hole with his club when he made a putt. After Mickelson was gunned down on
one hole, he got in Sandelin's face and asked for some respect. What Mickelson
would really like is a rematch.
