By Mitch Phillips
NEWPORT (Reuters) - Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin face an unprecedented Ryder Cup captaincy challenge on Saturday as the rain-delayed team competition bids to get back on schedule with a concertinaed day of pairs golf.
Having lost more than seven hours' play to torrential rain on Friday organizers came up with an ingenious solution to try to avoid the event running into Monday.
Once settled, there will be six foursome matches followed by two foursomes and four fourballs with all 24 players involved and the captains relieved of the unpleasant duty of having to leave out four players from each session.
The extra games are a bonus for fans, something of a consolation for their suffering during Friday's deluge, but they present new challenges for the captains as they seek to stay on top of the ever-changing situation while thinking about their later combinations.
The weather forecast for Saturday is good, though with more rain expected on Sunday the possibility of the Ryder Cup running over to Monday for the first time since its inception in 1927 is still a distinct possibility.
(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)
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