Cink, Verplank round out team

Tuesday, August 22, 2006 MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — Tom Lehman sorted through numbers on a chart and the feeling in his gut, trying to decide which two players would help the United States end a dozen years of European dominance in the Ryder Cup. He simply wanted the best, and picked up some experience along the way. Lehman chose Stewart Cink and Scott Verplank as his two captain's picks Monday morning, leaving Davis Love III at home for the first time since 1993 and raising questions about how much winning really mattered in the selection process. "I think what I'm wanting more than anything is a team that is just tough — strong guys that will never give up," Lehman said. "And it came down where Scott Verplank and Stewart Cink made their decision for me." Second straight pick Cink, 33, was one of the few wild-card selections who showed signs of life over the last few months, with three finishes in the top five to climb to No. 12 in the standings. He also was a captain's pick two years ago and will be playing the Ryder Cup for the third time. The 42-year-old Verplank was a mild surprise. He was a leading candidate to be a pick coming into the PGA Championship because of his accuracy off the tee and his putting, two key elements in match play. But he missed the cut after making two double bogeys on the final three holes at Medinah. Verplank, the first player to make his Ryder Cup debut as a captain's pick in 2002, finished 20th in the standings. "I'm so pumped," Verplank said. "I don't know how you can have a better event than the Ryder Cup. I told Tom I was put on this earth to play in things like this." The 10 who qualified during the two-year process were Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Chad Campbell, David Toms, Chris DiMarco, Vaughn Taylor, J.J. Henry, Zach Johnson and Brett Wetterich. The last four have never played in the Ryder Cup, and Taylor has never competed in any form of match play. The Ryder Cup is Sept. 22-24 at The K Club in Ireland. Europe has captured the cup seven of the last 10 times, including an 181/2-91/2 victory two years ago in Oakland Hills. Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.