United States captain Corey Pavin said he welcomed remarks by European tyro Rory McIlroy about Tiger Woods' woes and warned they may have stirred the wounded World No 1.
United States captain Corey Pavin said he welcomed remarks by European tyro Rory McIlroy about Tiger Woods' woes and warned they may have stirred the wounded World No 1.
McIlroy, playing in his first Ryder Cup, raised eyebrows last month when he said he was keen to face Woods, who has struggled to rediscover his best form since returning from a self-imposed exile from the sport. "I would love to face him," McIlroy said. "Unless his game rapidly improves, I think anybody in the European team would fancy their chances against him."
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Pavin said he was happy for any remark that provide extra motivation for Woods. "Anything that motivates players is great," Pavin said. "You don't need a lot of motivation on The Ryder Cup. If the players take it as motivation and use it in a positive way, it's great."
McIlroy meanwhile downplayed his comments, emphasising his comments on Woods had come after he had endured the worst 72 holes of his career at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio in August. "You've got to realise, I said those things the week after he had just shot 18 over at Akron, so he wasn't playing too well at that time," McIlroy said.
Woods has a history of making rivals pay for daring to suggest vulnerability in his game and he sounded an ominous note here when asked what his response had been on learning McIlroy wanted to play him. "Me too," Woods said.
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