Thursday, September 23
Tiger Woods, David Duval are
cast as Ryder's Dynamic Duo
By Jimmy Burch
Knight Ridder Newspapers
BROOKLINE, Mass. — Shoulder-to-shoulder, the top two players
in the world golf rankings took turns fielding questions about
the presence of celebrities, the absence of paychecks and the
mountain of pressure that will mark the U.S. team's experience
at the 33rd Ryder Cup.
Those shoulders, belonging to Tiger Woods and David Duval,
are expected to carry the Americans to victory at The Country
Club when matches begin this morning. But there is one question
surrounding members of the Dynamic Duo, who have combined for
10 victories in professional golf tournaments around the world
this season.
It concerns their adaptability to a team-play setting. Woods,
23, posted a 1-3-1 record in his Ryder Cup debut in 1997. Duval,
27, will make his debut at the event on Friday.
Both were at the epicenter of a pay-for-play controversy surrounding
the distribution of Ryder Cup profits during last month's PGA
Championship that led to captain Ben Crenshaw chastising both
players — along with teammates Mark O'Meara and Phil Mickelson
— for selfish attitudes.
Crenshaw reiterated Thursday that any off-course disagreements
with Woods and Duval “dissipated very quickly” and that
he is confident his two young guns can fire some telling shots
in helping the United States recapture the Ryder Cup for the first
time since 1993.
The players said they are up to the challenge — and the
pressure. Duval even joked about his bland image, saying the Americans,
if anything, have an edge in team chemistry over the Europeans
because “we only have 11 people with personalities on our
team, so you only have to get 11 people to get along together.
So we've got a leg up there.”
Duval, the No. 2 player in the world rankings, said he expects
to be “very nervous” when he joins forces with Phil
Mickelson for Friday's opening match against Europeans Colin Montgomerie
and Paul Lawrie. But he stressed that he should be able to handle
the expectations of helping carry the U.S. team.
Woods, the world's top-ranked golfer, sounded like someone
who cherishes the opportunity to erase memories of his disappointing
debut at Valderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain. He'll get
his first chance this morning while paired with Tom Lehman against
Europeans Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik.
In fashioning a 1-3-1 record during the 1997 competition, Woods
is best remembered for: a) putting into a lake, and b) losing
his singles match to unheralded Costantino Rocca, 4 and 2 —
a defeat that proved decisive when the United States lost, 14
1/2 to 13 1/2. Swing that point to Woods and the United States,
rather than the Europeans, would be the defending champs in the
event.
“In '97, I wasn't playing very well late in the summer
... and it carried over into the Ryder Cup. But this year, I'm
coming in with more of a positive attitude, and rightfully so,”
said Woods, who has won four of his past seven events, with two
additional top-10 finishes, since May. “I've played well.
I love match play. And, hopefully, I'll be able to execute the
shots at the right time.
“If people want to look toward me as a leader, that's
fine. But I'm not going to be a person who tries to get guys fired
up by jawing at them. It's not my personality. I would rather
let my playing lead the team.”
That is the role envisioned by Crenshaw and Woods' U.S. teammates,
who consider Woods the glue of the team, from a competitive standpoint.
“Tiger's game could lead anybody,” Hal Sutton said.
“He's capable of some things not many people in the world
are.”
Crenshaw said: “Tiger has gained a lot of confidence this
season and it's showing in almost every department of his game.
He's a very, very smooth engine right now.”
That's why Woods has won six events, including the PGA Championship.
Add in the presence of Duval, a four-event winner, and some members
of the U.S. team — as well as their PGA Tour peers —
are beginning to sound a bit boastful.
In an interview with “American Golf Digest”, Payne
Stewart said the presence of nine of the world's 14 highest-rated
golfers on the U.S. side tips the competitive scales to the breaking
point.
“On paper, they shouldn't even be caddying for us,”
Stewart said.
Jeff Maggert, a Houston resident and Texas A&M product,
said the American roster includes “the 12 best players in
the world.” Brad Faxon, a two-time Ryder Cup competitor who
will join Michael Jordan, former President Bush and England's
Prince Andrew among this week's spectators, said the U.S. team
“is at least three or four points better” than the Europeans,
based on track records.
Much of that is based on the presence of Woods and Duval, who
insist their seasons will not be soiled if they fail to lead the
heavily favored Americans to victory. Duval allowed Woods to sum
up the Dynamic Duo's sentiment.
“The best player doesn't always win in match play,”
Woods said. “That's the beauty of it. We're not here to lose.
But I think David and I would both feel we've have a great year
regardless of how the Ryder Cup turns out. It would just put a
nice cap on it for us to win.”
(c) 1999, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Visit the Star-Telegram on the World Wide Web: www.star-telegram.com.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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