The new face of the U.S. Ryder Cup team isn't Tiger Woods, it's … Lisa Pavin?

From the current issue of Avid Golfer, Lisa Pavin, wife of U.S. captain Corey Pavin, reminds us all why we should be rooting for the US of A in the Ryder Cup. At least I think that’s what she’s doing. With this cover in the current issue of Avid Golfer, Pavin’s former personal assistant, who has been his wife since 2003, is placing herself center stage for an event where many say that wives should be in the background. But that’s not Corey’s, or Lisa’s, style. From the Avid profile:

From designing team clothing to planning out gala events to just taking care of things at home so her husband can play his best golf, Lisa has done a tremendous amount of work leading up to the biennial tussle between the U.S. and Europe.

More from Avid Golfer, via SportsbyBrooks:

“I want to win the Cup more than anything,” Lisa said. “That’s all life has been about lately, the Ryder Cup.”

Back in 2000, Corey and his then-wife, Shannon, were looking for someone to help them out with their daily lives. Noss introduced the Pavins to Lisa, who had aspirations of starting her own Personal Assistant boutique firm. Lisa struck out on the job front after that meeting, but she did make quite an impression on Corey.

That year turned out to be a difficult one for Corey. His game was in shambles. He divorced from his wife and separated from his two sons, Ryan and Austin. And his relationship with his extended family deteriorated.

Soon after his divorce, Pavin hired Lisa as his personal assistant. Three months later, they became romantically involved.

“I was Corey’s personal assistant when we went on our first date, so having that date was sort of a blending in-type thing,” she said. “The two things I remember about it – he talked non-stop about the Ryder Cup and I remember asking him if he was going to finish his food because if not I was going to eat it. We shared more personable things about our lives on that date than we had previously while working together.”

The couple got engaged in January 2002, and tied the knot exactly one year later.

Lisa, who came to the U.S. from Vietnam during the fall of Saigon, is 14 years Corey’s junior. They have one daughter together.
Lisa was also involved in the infamous confrontation between Pavin and reporter Jim Gray.

On the Tuesday of the PGA Championship, Gray reported that the Ryder Cup captain said he would pick Tiger Woods for the team if he didn’t make the top eight automatic berths.

“Of course I’m going to pick him. He’s the best player in the world,” Corey reportedly told Gray.

However, Corey denied the report and tweeted that next day that Gray misquoted him. At the press conference Corey reiterated his stance, which led to an unexpected and heated exchange between the Ryder Cup captain and Gray when it was over. During the argument, Lisa pulled out her video cell phone and stated that she was recording everything. According to eyewitnesses, the two men were face to face and Gray stuck his finger in Corey’s face, saying “You’re a liar! You’re going down!”

Gray also raised up a hand in Lisa’s direction, and Corey responded by grabbing Gray’s hand and flinging it away.
So are you, like me, starting to get a Yoko Ono vibe here? is the Avid Golfer coverthe kind of distraction the U.S. team can do without? Or, as SportsbyBrooks points out, is this the kind of shakeup that can help the stodgy sport of golf in the long run?
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Ryder Cup Captain Pavin’s Wife’s Sexy Mag Cover [SportsbyBrooks]
Aye aye, Captainess [Avid Golfer]