The Ryder Final Four, Another Golf Scandal and Lefty Inching Toward No. 1

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin now has eight of the 12 players who will go Wales to compete against the Europeans in early October.

There are four Ryder Cup veterans: Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan. There are four who will be making their first appearance in the team competition: Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar.

In three weeks Pavin will make his four captain's picks that complete the squad. So how does the current roster impact the captain's selections?

In Watson and Johnson, the team will have two of the longest hitters in golf. Does Pavin attempt to build around that?

"I believe the eight players that have qualified are really going to allow a lot of flexibility for the four picks," Pavin said. "I couldn't have drawn it up any better for the eight players that are on the team and the types of players that are there.

"So I believe that there's going to be many choices to be made there. I think it's not just going to be about a type of player. I think there's going to be a lot of room for maneuvering, which I'm very pleased with."

The first question, of course, is whether Pavin will use one of his picks to invite Tiger Woods?

Most likely, he will.

The American captain has gone to extremes to dispute a Golf Channel report that said he had already decided to invite the struggling world No. 1, but it's hard to imagine he would pass.

"He's working on some things that seem to be improving his game," Pavin said. "So I was obviously pleased to see that happen last week.

"His comments to the press and the media are very positive. He wants to play and he wants to be on the team. Again, he's high on my list. He's certainly a big consideration, no doubt."

Of course, Pavin's task is to find the four players who are playing the best, not necessarily the best four players. It's a thin line, but a hot hand is the best weapon in golf.

That means the next three weeks of tour play -- which goes two deep into the FedEx Cup playoffs -- will carry a lot of weight.

"All of our consideration the next three weeks, is what four players do we add to that eight to make the best team possible. We want Team USA to be the best team.

"That may not necessarily be what everybody would perceive to be the next best four players, whatever that may be, and that everybody is going to have their opinion about that."

Anthony Kim, Lucas Glover, Zach Johnson and Woods are the top four on the points list who did not make the team. Bo Van Pelt, Stewart Cink and Sean O'Hair are also likely to earn consideration.

SO WHEN DO THEY PRACTICE?

Oh, those zany golfers. First there was Tiger and his lady friends. Then came rumors suggesting there are naughty and embarrassing pictures of European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, taken during an affair, that are a threat to surface.

But that's not all.

Now, Thomas Bjorn, Europe's vice captain and chairman of the players' tournament committee, is reported to have fathered a daughter with an Australian air-stewardess. Bjorn has been married since 1998 and has three children by that marriage.

In the event that Montgomerie was forced to resign, Bjorn had been discussed as a possible replacement. That would seem unlikely now.

MICKELSON GETTING CLOSER, HE'S TOLD

Tiger Woods is still No. 1 ranked in the world, but his margin over Phil Mickelson keeps getting smaller.

Mickelson could have claimed the top spot with a top-5 finish at the PGA but managed only a tie for 12th.

At least, that's what we hear.

"We understand the gist of the rankings that it's taken over a two-year period, and that the better you play, the higher up you're ranked," Mickelson said. "But week-in and week-out points and how it works, no, I don't think that we really have the details of it; nor do we want to. It's a pretty complex system."

BUT THERE'S NO GREEN FEES

You have to believe common sense will kick in soon and by the time October's Ryder Cup matches are played in Wales, this will not be an issue. But right now, it would cost the American players big-time to compete for their country in Wales.

According to UK media reports, under current tax structure, all players not living in Britain could be required to pay tax on a portion of other income that is connected to UK performance, including sponsorship and endorsements.

The story suggested Tiger Woods could face up to a $1 million tax. The European Tour is in discussions with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs about the matter, arguing the Ryder Cup should receive the same special exempt status as the Olympics.

ON THE PLUS SIDE

Something positive for golf could come out of Sunday's controversial ruling that cost Dustin Johnson a chance to win the PGA Championship.

Maybe it will cause the PGA of America to rethink its obsession with Whistling Straits, where it has already scheduled the 2015 PGA Championship and the 2020 Ryder Cup.

Quite frankly, Whistling Straits is not a particularly good golf course. The whole 1,200 bunker thing is gimmicky and annoying. The course is all but impossible to walk -- causing a number of injuries during the week to spectators who took falls. And for all the visual impact the elevation changes, gullies, forced carries and waterfront views provide, pretty much every hole looks alike.

PGA Tour rookie Rickie Fowler, committing by way of Twitter, may have said it best:

"I think a bunker that fans have been standing in all day should be considered a waste bunker."

TIGER COACHING WATCH

Tiger's brief work last week with Canadian swing coach Sean Foley may or may not result in a full-time working relationship.

Woods has been going it alone since dumping Hank Haney earlier this year, so the sight of him working on the range with Foley sent golf media into a breathless breaking-news frenzy.

According to Woods, the reports were a bit premature.

"I asked him to take a look at my swing and give me some ideas of what he sees," Woods said. "I like some of the things he had to say and where I needed to go.

"As far as working down the road, I'm sure I'm going to see him a little bit more. I still want to pick his brain a little bit more. I really don't have all of his concept yet. I would like to get to know him a little more before I fully get into it."

MENTIONABLES

• Tiger ranks 108th on the FedEx points standings, meaning he's only guaranteed a spot in the first of the four playoff events. Woods will be eligible to play the Barclays, but will have to play well to advance beyond that.

It may not matter. There's a suspicion that Woods will pass on the playoffs.

• Germany's Martin Kaymer is the third consecutive non-American PGA Champion. Padraig Harrington (Ireland) in 2008 and Y.E. Yang (South Korea) last year preceded Kaymer. The only other time that the PGA Championship was been won over three consecutive years by international players occurred during the first three PGA Championships ever staged -- Jim Barnes of England in 1916 and 1919, and Jock Hutchison in 1920. (The PGA Championship was not played in 1917 and 1918 because of World War I.)

• On his way to missing the cut at the PGA, John Daly cited a rotator cuff injury and withdrew before having to return Saturday morning to complete his suspended second round. What a recovery. He's teeing it up this week Greensboro.