Bantamweights Pavin And Gray In PGA Media Center Catfight****

/

Steve Elling missed his calling as a boxing writer.

In a tense exchange in the middle of the PGA Championship media center on Wednesday, Golf Channel reporter Jim Gray stuck a finger in U.S. captain Corey Pavin’s chest, called him a liar and barked, “you’re going down.”

And a certain Golf Channel reporter has been to one-too many boxing newsconferences!

Oh and there's a recording. Lisa, can you say YouTube!

As Gray approached him and they jawed at each other, Pavin said he tried to hold his ground.

“I just said, ‘You’re full of ‘something,’ ” Pavin said. “I’m not going to let that happen. He got upset. His eyes were a little odd … He was just a little crazy.”

Pavin’s wife was extremely agitated about the exchange and ripped Gray for not broaching the issue when more reporters were in the room. She was overheard complaining to a PGA of America official that Gray was a “wuss.”

Of her husband’s supposed guarantee to Woods, she said, “He’s not stupid. He’s had media training.”

Brooks has posted video of Gray's midday clarification of yesterday's precipitating events leading to today's bout

"I agree with Colin, actually. Let's stick to golf subjects here."

/

Wow is this going to be fun with these two Captains!

Never thought I'd say this, but Jim Gray is coming out of this smelling like, well, something. From today's Ryder Cup captain news conference at Whistling Straits:

Q. I wonder if you can set us straight on the whole Tiger Woods thing. He said yesterday he would accept a pick. You were quoted on by the GOLF CHANNEL as saying he'll be on the team. There was a Tweet this morning that said you were misquoted. Probably more than me are confused. Could you run us through what's right and what's not?

COREY PAVIN: Let's straighten this out right now. I had a conversation with Jim Gray yesterday just outside the locker room near where we registered and he asked me a few questions and his interpretation of what I said is incorrect.

There's nobody that's promised any picks right now. It would be disrespectful to everybody that's trying to make the team. I've got quite a few people I'm looking at. I would not disrespect any of the players that are potential players on the team, and obviously there was a misinterpretation of what I said, and that is an incorrect quote.

I don't believe the report was about promised picks. The question he asked was, will you pick him if he doesn't make the team. Just saying...

Q. In regards to the misquoting, could you kind of go through with us exactly what you did say that he could have taken so out of context?

COREY PAVIN: Well, I don't want to get into specifics of the conversation really. But it certainly was something I did not say. Let's just keep it as simple as that. It was incorrect.

Now, onto our other issue of the day...

Q. Monty, I don't know if you're aware, your old friend, Feherty went on a nationally syndicated radio show yesterday and talked about the existence of a super injunction in the U.K. that would bar some potentially embarrassing personal photos, wonder if you want to confirm, comment, deny the existence of those and how it might affect your captaincy at all.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, obviously I listened to that radio show and I know a lot of you are having a lot of fun right now at my expense.

Oh Colin, Colin. You so misunderstand the media. We mostly talk about how to attain world peace and prosperity. But go on...

Let me clear this up, though, that I can categorically say that there's no injunction against the News of the World. I'm really not going to discuss this any -- any further. All I can say is categorically there is no injunction against the News of the World regarding anything.

I apologize for this, that you have to bring this up, but at the same time, no further -- no further comments from myself on that matter.

Well there you have it, no injunction against News of the World. That should put the entire thing to rest!

Now about your players...

Q. You said we might be having a bit of fun at your expense, but have you any concerns that your potential -- your team, might also be having some fun?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: None at all. None at all. I've spoken to a number of the players, and there's no issue here at all. Nothing at all.

How did those conversations go, exactly?

Back to Corey about Tiger and their long awaited summit.

Q. Could you share any of that conversation? Were you clearing up what was said yesterday?

COREY PAVIN: We were just trying to figure out what we were going to have for dinner tonight and how our kids are growing up and how they are getting bigger.

Ah, there's a nice anecdote, a little sharing of your private conversation. Thanks. Any more?

Actually, you know what, the conversations that I have with all of my players or potential players are between us.

But you just...

It's very serious stuff sometimes that we with talk about and sometimes it isn't. Out of respect for privacy and how I go about doing things, it won't be discussed besides what we've been eating and things like that.

Now Monty, about that...

Q. There is an injunction against Paula Tadd; correct?

Whoa...where did that come from?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Excuse me, I'm here to talk about The Ryder Cup, okay. So please, no further questions on that or any other subject regarding anything -- or anything regarding my private life. By definition that, is private.

The dreaded non-denial denial.

COREY PAVIN: I agree with Colin, actually. Let's stick to golf subjects here. We'd appreciate that. Thank you.

So about that conversation with Jim Gray...

Pavin Tweets Correction: Jim Gray "Misquoted Me"

/

Interesting Twitter wallpaper...

Feherty: Monty Has Filed An Injunction To Keep "Story out of the newspapers"

/

Josh Hart reports the remarks made by CBS golf announcer David Feherty on Dan Patrick's radio show. You can listen the interview here.

Feherty, a golf commentator for CBS Sports added: "Apparently there's been an injunction filed to keep this story out of the newspapers."  

Host Dan Patrick, who seemed to know more, but wanted to say less, did add: "There are pictures..." and then began to talk about Monty's earlier divorce.

Brooks has more, saying that it involves photos and would explain a curious recent question from the Daily Mail about Monty quitting as captain.

That court fight allegedly involves embarrassing photos of Montgomerie obtained by the U.K. tabloid. In order to block the supposed photos from being published by NOTW, Montgomerie has allegedly obtained an injunction from London’s high court.

Yet Another Reason Captain Pavin Should Thank Captain Azinger

/

With only one week left for Woods to automatically qualify for the Ryder Cup team on points, it's looking less and less likely that he will make the team on points, leaving Captain Corey Pavin with a tough decision to make: to select Woods with one of four Captain's picks.

Now, some of you will surely let me know that it's unfathomable to leave Tiger off the team, and the other American options aren't exactly enticing when you look at his breakdown. But the Americans did take the Cup back in 2008 without Woods and unless he shows dramatic improvement over his next ten rounds, it's hard to see him helping the team this year.

In the past, this Captain's decision would be made the Sunday night after next week's PGA, but you'll recall that part of Paul Azinger's sweeping changes for 2008 included four captain's selections to be made well after the PGA, closer to the Cup. To refresh my memory, I tweeted Azinger for confirmation:

Pavin now has until September 7th to make his selections.

In a newly posted interview, the Captain talks about how he's confident Woods will make the team on points and sounds like he'll pick him if necessary.

But the other looming question remains: would Tiger accept a Captain's pick. This week it sure didn't sound that way.

Thanks to Captain Azinger, this won't be an issue for another month.

“I'm planning on playing my way into the team.”

/

Steve Elling on his exchange with Tiger Woods today over the possibility of going as a captain's pick.

Later, ESPN.com’s Bob Harig asked Woods whether a meeting with Pavin was unnecessary, a roundabout attempt to get Woods to verbally commit to playing regardless of how he made the 12-man U.S. team.

No luck with the knuckleball offering, either.

“I think if I do well this week, I should sew up my spot,” he said.

Woods drew laughs with his stubbornness, but with a simple answer, he could have cleared up the discussion and ended the questions. Let the speculation continue. This time, he rekindled the speculative bonfire himself.

Perhaps pride forbids him from even contemplating the need to be a captain's pick, or maybe he's just that confident he'll make it on points. Or both.

Monty Assembles His Brain Trust; Ollie Not Included

/

After all the will he or won't he talk, Monty didn't include Jose Maria Olazabal in his assistant captain's club but does have Darren Clarke on board, even though Clarke could be a candidate for the team if he continues his excellent play.

Either way, they are the reddest group I've ever seen.

Neither was there a place for Jose Maria Olazabal, the single vice-captain to Sir Nick Faldo during the defeat two years ago at Valhalla, Kentucky and the likely European captain for the 2012 match at Medinah, Illinois. The Spaniard suffers from a rheumatic ailment and as a result his schedule has been limited this year.

That does not fit with captain Montgomerie’s policy of appointing current players who play week-in, week-out and are known well to the ones likely to make the team that will be finalised on August 29 at the end of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.