PGA

• Pavin adds four assistant captains

  
  

  Pacific Palisades, CA (Sports Network) - United States Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin announced his four selections for assistant captains on Wednesday.

  Pavin has tabbed Davis Love III, Jeff Sluman, Paul Goydos and former Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman as his assistants.

  This year's Ryder Cup will take place October 1-3 at Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales.

  Lehman and Love combined to compete on nine Ryder Cup teams and combined for a 14-15-7 career record. They were teammates in 1995, 1997 and 1999. Love won a critical singles match at the 1993 Ryder Cup at The Belfry as he and then teammate Pavin helped the U.S. to a 15-13 victory. That was the last American win in Europe.

  Neither Goydos nor Sluman has competed in the Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup, though Sluman served as Jack Nicklaus' assistant for the 2003 Presidents Cup.

  "I believe that the strength to any team, especially in the Ryder Cup, stems from the support staff you have behind the ropes and in the locker room," said Pavin.

  "That makes the four assistants I've chosen MVPs in my mind. I believe that Tom Lehman, Davis Love III, Jeff Sluman and Paul Goydos bring experience, proven ability under pressure in major championships and Ryder Cups, and a fresh perspective in how to help bond this team for the challenges that we will face in Wales." Lehman and Pavin have known each other since their college days. In Lehman's Ryder Cup debut, he teamed with Pavin to defeat Nick Faldo, Europe's last Ryder Cup captain, and current European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie in a foursomes match.

  Eight of the 12 U.S. Ryder Cup players will selected following the season's final major, the PGA Championship, which will be played August 12-15. Pavin will announce his four captains pick on September 7.

  Montgomerie will announce his three captain's picks on August 29.

  02/03 21:01:41 ET