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Pavin sparks echoes of the war on the shore

Corey Pavin is a 'great patriot' © Getty Images

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Corey Pavin, some 19 years on from the infamous war on the shore, has brought the military in line with the Ryder Cup once again by asking Major Dan Rooney to deliver a motivational talk to his USA team.

Back in 1991 at Kiawah Island, in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm, Pavin put himself at the centre of controversy when he appeared to place the Ryder Cup on the same level as the Iraq conflict. Donning a flak jacket, Pavin made himself an enemy of the European team as the US stole a narrow victory courtesy of Bernhard Langer's missed putt.

Now Pavin has gone military on the US team again, bringing in Major Dan Rooney to do the equivalent of what Seve Ballesteros and Gareth Edwards were asked to do for the European team, which was namely to get the blood pumping.

"[Corey] is one of the greatest patriots I've ever met despite not putting on a military uniform," Rooney was quoted as saying in the Guardian. "I'm an F-16 fighter pilot. I've done a few tours of duty in Iraq but I'm also a PGA golf professional. That's a unique combination to be able to speak from, and Captain Pavin asked me on Tuesday evening to address the US team.

"From the outside flying an F-16 jet looks a very independent act as it's a single fighter plane. But when we go into combat we become one unit. That was the overarching message I gave to the 12 players: about accountability, working together and ultimately having each other's backs.

"Among the specific stories I shared was the fact that in 2008 I was in Iraq watching that year's Ryder Cup at Valhalla, and how the competition is much bigger than the team just playing over here in Wales. It's also about what it means to the armed forces. We have a lot of people away right now that truly appreciate and are following what they are doing.

"I also shared the story of how in 2006 my life took a new direction when I was on the United Airlines flight waiting to fly home to Michigan and there were the remains of a soldier killed in Iraq being taken home. This led me to set up the Folds of Honor foundation to help the more than 172,000 dependants in the US who have had somebody killed or disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a continuation of what we do on the field of battle: we never leave a man behind.

"We also had the leather A2 aviator jackets that we fighter pilots wear, which have been the same since the first world war, made for each of the 12 players and captain. These had the Ryder Cup and their names on them and I handed them over to Corey, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and everybody. It was a very spiritual, very special time we spent together."

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