Sanctuary of team environment could work in Woods's favour

Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson are two of the safest bets in golf; straight off the tee, strong putters and unflappable competitors – perfect Ryder Cup material.

Rickie Fowler may not have been a wager many would make but his consistent form and raw aggression make the 21-year-old rookie an ideal fourballs partner for an established hand.

And then there was that man Tiger Woods, and even he wasn't a gamble.

Granted, the world No 1's stock has fallen dramatically since he drove into a fire hydrant 10 months ago to spark the very public unravelling of his private life. But he remains a blue chip investment. By his standards, Woods's form has been poor this year, but had Pavin's team been made up of the top 12 on the qualifying table he would have made the team on merit.

There was no way Pavin could ignore the greatest player of his generation.

How the captain will really earn his money, though, in the lead up to the first tee shots at Celtic Manor on October 1, is in picking the perfect fourballs and foursomes foil for the greatest individual of his generation but an average team player at best.

For a man with 14 majors titles to his name his Ryder Cup record is a major abberation.

Woods has contributed only once to a winning team in five appearances – he missed the US win at Valhalla through injury – with successive captains unable to find the ideal partner for golf's iconic figure.

His history in the competition and standing on the 2010 team, draws comparison with perhaps only one European, Padraig Harrington, who is the home continent's only multiple major winner, and yet also had to sweat on a wildcard.

Both have won five caps with Woods earning more points than Harrington (11 to 8.5) and offering a better ratio of wins (40 per cent to 33 per cent) than Europe's talisman.

But that is due to his singles record, when he can adopt his fiercely single-minded competitive instincts.

What Woods lacks, and Harrington brings in abundance, is presence in the team room; supporting, encouraging and instilling belief.

Harrington is also a versatile fourballs and foursomes player – Woods is awkward.

Playing alongside either a methodical pro like Jim Furyk or a young buck like Chris Riley in the past has produced mixed results.

Hal Sutton's decision to pair him with Phil Mickelson in 2004 backfired dramatically.

Steve Stricker looks the likely fit in Wales, a consistent, solid player who at last year's President's Cup showed it was possible to harness Woods's talent in the team format.

After a career spent surrounded by a small number of confidantes, the team environment might be exactly what Woods needs as the number of those closest to him shrinks.

By the time he reaches the first tee in Wales he will be ready for the sanctuary of competitive golf. The build-up will be draining what with a tabloid press and paparazzi scrutinising his every move and a players parade when the absence of a wife on his arm as his team-mates catwalk their own ideal partners will be humbling.

Via a conference call yesterday Woods said all the right things about "being part of a team".

Pavin, when retelling the story of how Woods greeted the news of his selection, added: "He said 'absolutely whatever you like me to do I'll do'. Which is exactly what a captain likes to hear."