Goydos brings wit, wisdom -- maybe game -- to the Ryder Cup
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- If Paul Goydos ever needs another day job, he would make a great addition to one of the network TV broadcasts.
And the PGA TOUR veteran's dry wit was once again in evidence on Friday when Goydos came into the interview room after shooting a 65 at Spyglass Hill that left him tied for the lead. The round was his lowest ever there -- by five strokes -- and moved him to 10 under.
Turns out, J.B. Holmes -- also among the logjam of six players at the top of the leaderboard -- was waiting on a telephone hook-up so reporters could ask him questions. Holmes had played the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club .
So Goydos picked up the microphone and started the interview with Holmes, relaying the questions from the media. How did he feel about his round, Goydos asked. Could he go through his birdies and bogeys?
When that interview was all over, one of the sportswriters asked Goydos what he'd choose -- to be an assistant Ryder Cup captain or a PGA TOUR media official.
"I don't know," Goydos quipped. "But the pay is about the same."
One way or the other, Goydos will certainly keep things light in U.S. Captain Corey Pavin's locker room at Celtic Manor in September. He'll either be there along with Davis Love III, Jeff Sluman and Tom Lehman as one of Pavin's wing men, or he could be among the 12 playing members of the team.
Don't laugh. Should the 46-year-old Goydos win the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Sunday, he would jump into the top 10 in the standings. He's currently 34th after that tie for fifth last week at the Northern Trust Open.
Goydos, who has never played on an international team, isn't getting ahead of himself, though. He'd love to play on the team, but he's also content with his role as an assistant.
"Obviously you set goals," Goydos said. "You should set easily attainable goals, marginally attainable goals. You should have different levels of goal-setting throughout your year, and that's obviously one of the high ones.
"But you do set goals, and I played well. Who knows what's gonna happen. Also think those kind of things kind of iron themselves out after the U.S. Open. Not too concerned about it right now."
And just how does Goydos set goals?
"Attainable, for me, the goal is always to be a better player in December than I was in January. That's goal one," Goydos said,
Granted, that's not always easily attained. And goals can change depending on how you're playing, Goydos pointed out. For instance, finding fairways and greens might be at the top of the agenda for a player who's struggling.
"Upright throughout every round would be the easily attainable one," Goydos said. "The Grand Slam would be probably the less easily attainable one, and the rest of 'em are in between those two."
Goydos sees his role on the U.S. Team as being Pavin's eyes and ears on the PGA TOUR. Pavin will complete his team with four picks on the Tuesday after the Deutsche Bank Championship is over, and Goydos' input will help with the choices.
"I'm not making the picks," Goydos said. "I'm more like a caddie. He's making the picks. He's got to figure out what he thinks is the best way to blend in those four guys, what's the best mix."
Would he ever see himself as a candidate? Hardly.
"He's gonna pick the four guys he thinks blends into the team best," Goydos said. "Again, 46 years old, short hitting, never played before, I know where my butt's going."
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