Ryder Cup skipper Pavin trades verbal insults with broadcaster over picking Woods
By ANIThursday, August 12, 2010
WISCONSIN - American Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin traded verbal insults with TV broadcaster Jim Gray over reports that he had guaranteed out-of-form golfing great Tiger Woods a wild card for the October shootout at Celtic Manor.
Golf Channel’s Gray had earlier claimed that Pavin had told him Woods was certain of a spot on the team, even though he slipped to tenth on the qualifying list with the worst display of his career at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
According to The Sun, Pavin insisted he was misquoted, but Gray confronted him and said: “You’re a liar - and you’re going down for it.”
Pavin replied: “No, you’re full of it”, and things got even uglier when the American captain’s wife, Lisa, tried to intervene and was brushed away by Gray.
Pavin, 50, reacted by yelling: “That’s my wife, don’t you touch her, don’t you ever touch her.”
Woods, 34, was practising at the time and nowhere near the scene.
Only the top eight Americans qualify automatically, with Pavin adding four picks.
Woods had announced he would welcome a wild card if he does not play his way on to the team with a good finish at Whistling Straits. (ANI)
