Ryder Cup Team Is Final

He waited until Monday morning to make his choices, but U.S. captain Tom Lehman selected Stewart Cink and Scott Verplank with his two captain’s picks to fill out his 12-player Ryder Cup team.

The selection of Cink, who tied for 24th in the PGA Championship, wasn’t much of an upset because he ranked 12th on the points list, but Verplank missed the cut at Medinah Country Club and was 20th on the points list.

Lehman ranked 19th. He said Steve Stricker, Davis Love III, Lucas Glover and Corey Pavin, his assistant captain, had been on his short list of candidates.

“What I’m really looking for is a team that’s tough mentally, that won’t quit,” Lehman said.

“Our team is unbelievably motivated to win. All I can tell you, this is a group of guys ready to play right now.”

The 36th Ryder Cup matches will be played Sept. 22-24 at the K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland. Europe has won three of the last four matches, including an 18 1/2 -9 1/2 victory, the worst U.S. defeat, two years ago at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Mich.

Ryder Cup play is conducted every two years at alternating sites in the U.S. and Europe.

Lehman stressed the importance of victories, comparing match play to the final round of tournament play, yet Cink hasn’t won in two years and Verplank’s last victory was in 2001.

“I don’t doubt their heart at all,” Lehman said.

In 2004, Cink and Jay Haas were 2-4-2 as Hal Sutton’s captain’s picks. Luke Donald and Colin Montgomerie, chosen by European captain Bernhard Langer, were 5-2-1.

Love has played on every Ryder Cup team since 1993 but he tied for 34th at Medinah, hasn’t had a top-10 finish in a stroke play event this year and failed to impress Lehman.

“Davis hasn’t played well, plain and simple,” Lehman said. “With all the experience he has, I still want guys who have played well.”

Lehman said the PGA of America had chartered a jet to fly the team to the K Club on Sept. 17 for practice, but wasn’t sure if his top two players, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, would be on board because of previous commitments.

Four Ryder Cup rookies made the team on points: Vaughn Taylor, J.J. Henry, Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich.

The European team will be completed Sept. 3.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Matching up

Stewart Cink and Scott Verplank were selected by U.S. captain Tom Lehman as the 11th and 12th players on the Ryder Cup team. The 36th Ryder Cup matches will be played Sept. 22-24 at the K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland. The European team will be completed Sept. 3:

U.S. TEAM TOP 10 QUALIFIERS (FINAL)

*--* Pos. Player Points 1. Tiger Woods 4,825 2. Phil Mickelson 2,474 3. Jim Furyk 2,076 4. Chad Campbell 1,129 5. David Toms 1,072 6. Chris DiMarco 830 7. Vaughn Taylor 780 8. J.J. Henry 778 9. Zach Johnson 756 10. Brett Wetterich 746

*--*

CURRENT EUROPEAN STANDINGS

*--* Pos. Player Points 1. Colin Montgomerie 2,434,316 2. David Howell 2,284,846 3. Sergio Garcia 1,911,271 4. Robert Karlsson 1,902,799 5. Henrik Stenson 1,873,034 6. Paul Casey 1,721,833 7. Padraig Harrington 1,514,027 8. Paul McGinley 1,473,112 9. Jose Maria Olazabal 1,392,923 10. Luke Donald 1,387,770

*--*