2010 Ryder Cup: Tiger Woods On The Bubble As Captain's Pick After Automatic Qualifiers Finalized

The last large remaining drama of the 2010 golf season is whether Tiger Woods will be on the U.S. Ryder Cup squad. The once unthinkable proposition that Woods would need to be one of Corey Pavin's four captains' picks to make the roster is now a reality with Ryder Cup qualifying now finished with the PGA Championship.

Team captain Corey Pavin announced that Woods is "high on his list" for one of the four remaining spots during a press conference on Monday, but would not guarantee Tiger a place on the roster, according to the AP. Pavin was encouraged by Woods' improved play at the PGA Championship after his disastrous near-last place finish the week before at the Bridgestone Invitational, but said he would not make any of picks public until September 7.

Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, recent PGA runner-up Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar are the eight automatic qualifiers for the United States squad. Woods is in the at-large mix with Anthony Kim, Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson, Bo Van Pelt and Stewart Cink. Assuming he's healthy, Kim is the only real lock among that group. Despite his recent struggles, it's difficult to imagine Pavin would pass over Woods for the likes of Glover or Johnson -- assuming Tiger doesn't regress further.

Indeed, Jim Gray certainly thinks Pavin intimated as much...

Last night, a report came from John Hawkins at Golf Channel saying Jim Gray had spoken with American Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin about the possibility of selecting Tiger Woods with one of his four picks in the event that Tiger misses the squad.

This morning, Waggle Room refuted the report – citing a source close to Pavin. On Twitter, Pavin confirmed the Waggle Room report, saying he was “misquoted” and will not speak on the subject of captain’s picks until September.

While many questions surround Tiger Woods and his participation in the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, there are a few things we know as fact:

• Woods has one more tournament, the PGA Championship this week at Whistling Straits, to work his way in to the top eight of the Ryder Cup standings.
  
• Two players have locked up spots on the U.S. team: Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan, who won the Bridgestone Classic this past weekend.
• If he doesn't play his way on the team, Woods can be chosen for one of two spots by team captain Corey Pavin. (The two reportedly will meet this week at Whistling Straits.)
  
• Woods will have to finish at least among the top 16 players at the PGA Championship in order to earn a spot.
  

The Orlando Sentinel, thankfully, crunched the numbers for us on that last fact. Here's what their calculators told them:

That’s merely to catch Lucas Glover for the No. 8 position – not factoring in what Glover may do at Whistling Straits, or anyone else behind him in the Ryder Cup standings.

Not overly daunting – but not exactly a cinch, either. Not the way things have gone lately. Consider that Woods hasn’t been able to muster a top-16 finish in any of his past three outings.

So Woods has to hope for that top-16 finish, while also hoping some folks in his way play ... well, play like Woods has played over the last three tournaments. During that stretch, his average finish is 49th.

With his win on Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational, Hunter Mahan leaped ahead of Tiger Woods in the 2010 Ryder Cup standings, all the way to second place, and locked up a spot on the U.S. team.

“That was my goal at the beginning of the year, to make the team on my own,” Mahan told reporters after the round. He has played on the last three U.S. teams, for two Presidents Cups and one Ryder Cup, but he was a captain’s choice for all three.

Woods, meanwhile, slipped another spot in the Ryder Cup points, falling from ninth to 10th after his wretched performance at the Bridgestone.

With just one tournament left to finalize the Ryder Cup team — this week’s PGA Championship, the fourth and final major tourmanet — here’s how the top 11 spots look:

1. Phil Mickelson
2. Hunter Mahan
3. Jim Furyk
4. Steve Stricker
5. Jeff Overton
6. Anthony Kim
7. Matt Kuchar
8. Lucas Glover
9. Dustin Johnson
10. Tiger Woods
11. Ricky Barnes

The top eight players make the team automatically, and team captain Corey Pavin will choose two more players.

After finishing another treacherous round on Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational, carding a 77 to finish at 298 (18 over) for the four-day tournament he used to dominate, Tiger Woods began backing away from a role in the Ryder Cup this fall.

"Not playing like this, definitely not, not playing like this," Woods told reporters after carding the highest 72-hole score of his career. "I wouldn't help the team if I'm playing like this. No one would help the team if they're shooting 18 over par."

It may not be his decision. Woods entered the Bridgestone in ninth place in Ryder Cup points for the U.S. team, one spot ahead of Hunter Mahan -- who has a shot still at winning the tournament. The top eight players make the team automatically, leaving captain Corey Pavin to pick two more players to round out a 10-golfer squad. Next week's PGA Championship is the final opportunity for Woods to earn enough points to earn a spot.

Pavin won't announce his two captain's selections until Sept. 7. "I can turn it around by then," Woods said.