By Art Spander
Special to NewsdayNEWPORT, Wales -- The question was more of an answer. Where, Corey Pavin, the U.S. Ryder Cup captain was asked, could he hide Phil Mickelson in today's singles?
Hide the golfer No. 2 in the world rankings? That was an indictment of Mickelson's game, which, since he has lost all three of his team matches hasn't been what was expected of him.
"There is nobody to hide,'' Pavin said Sunday. Indeed, 12 players, 12 singles, although Mickelson, going against Peter Hanson, was in the 10th match on the schedule. That's two below Tiger Woods, who faces Francesco Molinari at No. 8.
"I think that's a great spot,'' Pavin said, justifying his placement of Woods, who used to go leadoff. "I feel he is going to have a great chance to win his match.''
What Pavin said about Mickelson, who has more losses (17) than any U.S. player in the Ryder Cup -- Raymond Floyd held the negative mark with 16 -- is Phil "had a few 6-footers that were very key putts, and if he makes those, it's a different result.''
"We just haven't played well enough to win our matches,'' Mickelson conceded.
What Woods said after he and Steve Stricker were beaten in foursomes, 6 and 5, by Lee Westwood-Luke Donald -- Tiger's most one-sided match-play loss ever -- was: "We thought we got a little momentum with the birdie on nine Saturday,'' Woods said, "but it just didn't turn out that way.''
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