Alum to lead Ryder Cup

Former UCLA golfer Corey Pavin was announced last month as the 2010 Ryder Cup Captain for the United States team.

The U.S. team won the Ryder Cup over the European team at Valhalla last September for the first time since 1993, and they hope to defend their title in Wales in 2010.

Pavin competed in three Ryder Cups in 1991, 1993 and 1995, with the U.S. winning in ’91 and ’93. Their last road victory was in ’93 at the Belfry in England, in which Pavin playing a significant role.

In his three years competing in the Ryder Cup, Pavin personally compiled an 8-5 record.

Pavin is a former U.S. Open champion (1995) who won 15 times on the PGA tour in his career.

He also served as assistant captain to Tom Lehman in 2006.

Last year, Paul Azinger revamped the captain’s role and led the US team to a 16.5-11.5 victory over the Europeans, ending Europe’s streak of three consecutive wins.

In the past, 10 players made the team based on a two-year long points system and the team was rounded out by two captain’s picks.

Azinger changed the system so that four of the 12 team members were captain’s picks, and the points system was more heavily weighted to the time closer to the Ryder Cup, so the golfers playing the best at the time of the Cup would make the team.

Azinger did such a good job as captain that many people wanted him to be selected back-to-back for the first time since Ben Hogan captained consecutive Ryder Cups in 1947 and 1949.

However, PGA of America officials wanted to honor ex-Ryder Cup competitors and give someone else the opportunity to captain the team.

Pavin may follow Azinger’s model, or he might try to tweak the system even more to his liking.

“I’ve already asked the PGA of America if I could have 12 picks, but I think they rejected that already,” Pavin said in jest at a press conference in December.

But despite some good humor, there is no doubt that Pavin has been a fixture in past Ryder Cups and will do all he can to lead the Americans to their second-straight victory.

“The Ryder Cup is in my blood,” he said. “I think if you cut my arm open, Ryder Cup would just bleed out.”

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