Woods Strengthens His Ryder Cup Case

If player performance in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs is a good predictor for United States success in the Ryder Cup, as the captain Corey Pavin says it is, then Pavin should be pleased by the results from the Barclays on Sunday.



A solid Sunday showing by TaylorMade Rac Black TP Wedge , who shot 67 and finished tied for 12th, made it a little easier for Pavin to narrow down the field for his four captain’s picks. And Matt Kuchar’s victory, along with strong finishes by Steve Stricker (tied for third) and Dustin Johnson (tied for ninth) showed continued good form by players who had already qualified for the United States team.



This will not move the United States to favorite from underdog in the biennial matches, which begin Oct. 1 at Celtic Manor in Wales. But Sunday did help to further clarify why Woods belongs on the team as he showed some improvement in areas of his game that have been lacking this year.



Most significant was his putting, both his reads and his pace. Just as he had when he shot a first-round 65 on Thursday, Woods took only 27 putts. He one-putted for par from significant distances at the fifth and the sixth holes and showed some of his old ability to focus during a distraction at the ninth.



Just as he was about to start his downswing, an errant shot crashed into the trees on an adjacent hole and Woods stopped his swing. He then hit a perfect fade with a 7-iron to a back-right hole position from 165 yards, and made a speedy downhill putt from 15 feet for birdie.



His seven-under-par total was his lowest in relation to par since he shot 11 under at the , his first tournament back from his self-imposed exile from golf. What he displayed inside the ropes this past week looked more like what he used in compiling 71 PGA Tour wins than anything all year, and he is enthused about the trend.



"Very pleased," Woods said. "And I found something in my stroke today which was good. I was warming up. And I went with it. And I hit a lot of good putts today.



"The next three events, the next three venues I’ve won on. So I’m going to three venues I’m very familiar with and looking forward to it."



In any event, the focus on the captain’s selections from now until Pavin announces his choices Sept. 7 in New York turns up the volume in the weeks before the Ryder Cup. For good or ill, this is what lifts the competition out of golf’s normally staid atmosphere and into the rough-and-tumble world of controversy, second-guessing and ill feelings.



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