Q&A: Goydos on his first Ryder Cup, why the U.S. can win

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Paul Goydos said he's "kind of jealous" to not be playing, but the Assistant Captain will have a front-row seat for the Ryder Cup's raucous atmosphere.

Editor's note: Assistant U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Paul Goydos has played on the PGA TOUR for 18 years. This will be his first Ryder Cup. He recently spoke with PGATOUR.COM's Brian Wacker about his expectations in Wales, what he likes about the U.S. team and more.

PGATOUR.COM: You've never played in a Ryder Cup, or been an assistant captain in one -- what does it mean to you to be part of this team?

GOYDOS: I think calling me part of the team is a pretty big stretch. It's going to be a great experience to get a chance to experience all that is the Ryder Cup. I don't think anybody has any idea what it's like until you're on the ground. I've watched it on TV and thought "OK" but the atmosphere will be like a World Cup soccer-like atmosphere. I'm kind of jealous of the players because I don't get to play but to get to be in that atmosphere is something very few people get to do.

PGATOUR.COM: It seems everyone thinks Europe is going to kill the U.S. team. How do you think the two teams match up?

GOYDOS: You could pull four names out of a hat and have two pretty good teams. For the most part, it's relatively matched. They've got a couple of major winners and we've got a couple. In Tiger you could argue we have the greatest player ever. But [Lee] Westwood and [Ian] Poulter have won match-play tournaments and they have a pretty strong team in the Molinari brothers, who have played great this year. Maybe the only advantage they have is the fans will be on their side.

PGATOUR.COM: How much more of a home-field advantage is it for Europe?

GOYDOS: I'm not sure I'm the person to answer that -- I always felt in basketball and football it's a big advantage, but it's not like we sleep in our own beds on the road anyway. The difficult part is just getting used to the atmosphere. The fans -- they won't be booing. I think they'll be respectful. Corey's [U.S. Captain Corey Pavin] goal is to hear the silence. We're used to galleries being relatively polite. But I like to think of it like that scene in "Hoosiers" when Gene Hackman pulls out the tape measure and measures the height of the basket and the distance to the free throw line and it's the same as in their tiny gym back home. When push comes to shove, what makes the event so special is that the cream of the crop rises and can handle those situations better than anyone else.

PGATOUR.COM: A lot has been made of Paul Casey not being picked by Colin Montgomerie. Given the way he's playing, you're probably glad he's not on the team. What do you think of the qualification process for not only Europe but both sides?

GOYDOS: The more picks the captain gets, the more pressure that is on that captain. If Corey would have had 12 picks, I don't think the team would have looked much different to be honest with you. I think the guys who qualified, they sort of distanced themselves from everyone else and in the last two months, Stewart [Cink], Tiger [Woods] and Zach [Johnson] played better than anyone who didn't make it. And Rickie [Fowler] played well all year and has a good match-play record -- he was 7-1 in Walker Cup play, I believe, including one over there. [Rickie's] a rare, rare person. There's no question he's a great player but he's a good guy, a smart guy unbelievably respectful and competitive and that's hard for a 21-year-old. I've never met a 21-year-old who handles himself the way Fowler does. Now, Montgomerie got himself into a position where he had 15 guys for 12 spots. We had 2, 3, 4 guys we were pretty agonized about not having on the team and Montgomerie had the same problem. The hardest thing is figuring out who's going to sit. The most difficult part of being Captain isn't putting together a team, it's figuring out who's not going to play on Friday and Saturday.

PGATOUR.COM: Who have you gotten to know the best on your team? What do you like about your team?

GOYDOS: This is my 18th year on the PGA TOUR and it's kind of like a large family in that you get to know everybody and that's what makes golf great. Everybody knows how hard [golf] is even though Tiger and Phil make it look easy. That's why you see so many pats on the back when a guy doesn't win. The first time I met Tiger he was 4 years old. Phil couldn't have been more supportive when I went through my tough patch in the middle of this decade. Hunter Mahan's dad lives down the street from me. I'm not best friends with anyone on the team, but it's like having 156 brothers. I always tell people there's probably no one on TOUR you wouldn't want to have as a neighbor.

PGATOUR.COM: Is there anything you'd change about the Ryder Cup?

GOYDOS: The hardest thing for me is that four guys don't get to play Friday morning and afternoon. In The Presidents Cup, only two guys have to sit out. I maybe would revise my answer when we're done, but to me I'd like to see five matches Friday and Saturday.

PGATOUR.COM: You and Corey Pavin are both California guys, know each other well. What do you make of him as Captain?

GOYDOS: Not only Corey, but Tom [Lehman, another assistant captain] and I go back to the old Hogan Tour. Jim Furyk talked about [Corey] at a dinner we had in Boston. Corey is one of those guys when he latches on he doesn't want to let go. He's that kind of competitor. Match play is the ultimate form of competition. You listen to these guys talk about it and they're eyes sparkle. I thought the greatest accomplishment or thrill would be winning majors; I've contended at THE PLAYERS Championship. I always thought I've got the greatest job, but I've never had that kind of feeling they have golf-wise.

PGATOUR.COM: What will be your role with the team?

GOYDOS: Part of it is to offer a different perspective. The upside to having Tom [Lehman], Davis [Love III] and Jeff [Sluman] is their experience. But the downside to having them is their experience because they know what to expect and may not see things an outside might see. I might pick up on something they might gloss over.

PGATOUR.COM: You used to substitute teach, you've got two daughters, you've got some young guys on the team. Will your teaching/parenting skills come into play?

GOYDOS: I think what you're going to see is a unit. Our team has five rookies and their's has six. It will be loud and boisterous and there will be all the pomp and circumstance and the rookies won't have played under that pressure. But we've got other guys like Tiger, Phil, [Jim] Furyk who have played in a few Ryder Cups.

PGATOUR.COM: I'll get you out of here on this one: You're always in the media center and not just for interviews. Do you read a lot of what's written?

GOYDOS: I read for information mostly, but we live in a world now where unfortunately the fact is you turn on NBC and they're telling me their opinion of the news, not news. It's that way in golf, too and that's OK. That's what great about our country is that different people can have different opinions. [John] Feinstein has his, Jeff Rude has his and you have yours. The more people talk, the better. It's an important part of building our brand.