Tiger has a lock on a berth
By MIKE COCHRAN / Associated Press Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Ryder Cup captain Tom Kite is delighted
with the way the U.S. team is shaping up and expects the 12-man
squad to be loaded with "fantastic" players.
"If I had a wish list, the top 25 is very close to that,"
he said, referring to the current leaders in the race for 10 of
the coveted berths.
As captain, Kite will select two at-large members of the U.S.
team that will attempt to recapture the cup against the European
squad Sept. 26-28 at the Valderrama Golf Club in Spain.
Kite, who is 25th on that list, assembled most of the contenders
for a uniform-fitting session on the eve of the MasterCard Colonial.
He said Tiger Woods, Tom Lehman and Mark O'Meara had a lock
on three of the berths, while the next four in the point standings
"are in good shape."
That quartet includes Phil Mickelson, Scott Hoch, Brad Faxon
and Davis Love III.
Faxon, currently sixth on the list, was tied for the Colonial
lead heading into Saturday's third round. Woods was three shots
off the lead and Mickelson was five back.
Hoch and Love barely made the cut at 140 and Lehman missed
it by a stroke. O'Meara skipped the tournament.
"If you're looking down the list, you can imagine how
happy I am about what's going on with the Ryder Cup right now,"
Kite said. "It's not a whole lot different than what I expected
or what I would have hoped for."
Kite also was pleased to see the players getting excited about
the matches.
"I think about the Ryder Cup a lot," he said, laughing.
"I've already paired and re-paired my team, and I don't even
know who my team is yet."
"It's not tough to find a lot of guys who want to play
with Tiger," referring to the 21-year-old who is golf's newest
superstar.
In 1995, the heavily favored Americans lost the cup at Oak
Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. They won only four of 12
singles matches on the final day.
Kite said the European team captained by Seve Ballesteros should
be favored to retain the cup because it too is shaping up well
and the players are familiar with the Valderrama course.
"It looks like he may have eight or nine veteran players
and four or five rookies," Kite said. "It looks like
the same kind of mix I'm going to have."
Kite said both he and Ballesteros ideally would field teams
with players who have proven in the past they can handle Ryder
Cup pressure. One of those would be Kite himself, who has not
yet ruled himself out.
"Nobody has been a playing captain for many years,"
he said, "but just because it hasn't been done for a number
of years doesn't mean that it can't be done."
Another premier cup player is Corey Pavin, who is battling
back from a prolonged slump.
"One of the few surprises is that Corey is not in the
top 25," Kite said. Pavin, the defending Colonial champion,
was 10 strokes back at the start of Saturday's round.
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