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 Goydos, who shot 59 in July, is good friends with U.S. captain Corey Pavin (PHOTO: Eddie Meeks). In February, United States Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin announced the four assistants who he’d be counting on for guidance and support during the matches at Celtic Manor Resort in Wales. Tom Lehman, Davis Love III and Jeff Sluman seemed to be logical choices — all owned significant experiences at past American team competitions, not to mention one major victory apiece. The fourth choice was Long Beach native Paul Goydos, who has never been involved in either a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup and whose professional career — which does include two PGA Tour triumphs — isn’t about to be confused with any of the three aforementioned assistants. However, the Dove Canyon resident has gained a new level of notoriety since early July, when he became the fourth player in Tour history to shoot 59. That notoriety has included newfound gawking from golf fans at airports and Starbucks locations. Pavin justified the selection of Goydos, saying, “His lack of team experience makes him an ideal choice. He is unconventional, thinks outside the box, and is an excellent judge of character and talent. Paul is also well-respected among his peers. He will give me his untarnished opinion, which no doubt will have his unique stamp on it.” In typical deadpan fashion, the 46-year-old Goydos wonders about the rationale of his good friend Pavin: “I don’t understand that, quite frankly.” But when Goydos seriously talks about the role, he comes off as someone who can make a difference. “The hope is I come up with some type of idea or attitude that no one really thought of, because I have a different experience level,” he explained. “I think that when you get four people in a room who all have the same experiences, you’re all going to have the same ideas.” The Ryder Cup accountability hierarchy usually starts with players and then goes to the captain, so assistant captains never really bear a huge brunt of glory for wins or blame for losses. But expect Pavin’s assistants to do their part for one simple reason — they are all good friends with the captain and each other. Strong friendships breed honesty and candid conversation, with which Goydos has no problem. Who knows — that candor could be pivotal in making pairings decisions for early matches. Goydos’ frank opinions on the type of player deserving a spot on the team suggest he should have a strong voice when Pavin makes his four captain’s picks on Tuesday, September 7. “A lot of people say they really want a guy on the team who has a win. I’d almost say, I’d rather have a guy who finishes second every week make the team than a guy who has a win and then a bunch of missed cuts and then another win and more missed cuts,” explained Goydos. Not the most stoic person on the course, Goydos also is a fan of players who readily display their emotions — assuming that’s the personality that has enabled them to play well at the highest level. “We want those emotions,” said Goydos. “We sometimes are critical of people who show negative emotions, but the reality is you can’t have positive emotions without negative emotions. You don’t know happiness until you know sadness, and vice versa. “It’s hard to win out there. If you’re out there playing, emotionally involved in an event, then things can sometimes get away from you. Believe me, it’s happened to me. I’d rather have that than a guy that says, ‘Oh well, I finished second.’ I don’t want that guy. I want the guy who’s pissed off and thinks second is no good.” Such exuberance on the American squad could prove to be an advantage. The U.S. is the defending champion but heads into this Ryder Cup as an underdog since Europe is hosting the event and boasts a roster that’s recently enjoyed a stronger collection of individual successes than their opponents. Goydos thinks whatever advantage the Euros have is slight — “If we’re the underdog, we’re talking about them having an edge of 50.5 percent to our 49.5 percent,” — and this year, heading to Wales to play the Twenty Ten Course at Celtic Manor could actually be beneficial for the U.S. “I always think the first time you play a golf course, it’s kind of cool to see and you’re a little more amped,” Goydos explained. “To me, one of the hardest things on Tour is when you’re playing your Tuesday practice round on a course you’ve already seen 50 times. It’s hard to get mentally into it. I don’t think our guys are going to have any trouble getting mentally into playing their practice rounds and figuring out this course.” It’s been an eventful year for the man who’s made more than 450 PGA Tour starts and earned more than $11 million. Other than the 59 that propelled him to a runner-up finish at the John Deere Classic, Goydos said he’s “pretty much stunk up the joint” but is happy with the direction his game is going. Come next month, he’ll have a chance to make an impact far beyond any singular shot he’s hit over his career — an exciting prospect that the down-to-earth Goydos isn’t trying to get too excited about right now. “I have no idea what it’s going to be like over there,” he said. “I’ve totally underestimated how big of a deal it was to shoot 59. I mean, I completely whiffed. I’m probably going to totally underestimate how big a deal it is if we win there, too.” ALSO SEE: Jamie Mulligan thinks Goydos has been one of a kind Corey Pavin leads U.S. against Europe in 2010 Ryder Cup How Pavin has fared at the Ryder Cup Southern California's connection to the Ryder Cup |
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