ESPN Golf

Tiger Woods had to know the risk he was running, summoning the four rookies who made the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team to a private dinner in Akron, Ohio, just days after the 12-man squad was finalized. Gagging is common for golfers who wander into the presence of the world's No. 1 player, but fortunately, none of the Four Freshmen -- J.J. Henry, Zach Johnson, Vaughn Taylor or Brett Wetterich -- choked on the steaks at the Diamond Grille. Whether Woods' roundtable feast renders the Heimlich unnecessary at next week's Ryder Cup remains to be seen.

Although the gracious gesture signals Woods' emergence as a leader for the United States in a series it no longer dominates, one could argue it also was born of necessity. Perceptiveness is but one of Woods' many talents, and undoubtedly the Duke of Earl recognized the need to facilitate the newcomers' initiation, as well as force-feed them some of the respect they deserve for securing automatic berths.

Scouting the U.S. Ryder Cup rookies

J.J. Henry Henry Age: 31 World Rank: 62 2006 PGA Tour earnings: $2,003,075 (23rd) • Earnest and convivial, Henry is one of the tour's better ball-strikers (T-42 in driving distance, T-23 in greens in regulation). A streaky putter, he might best complement a veteran such as Scott Verplank, who keeps the ball in play and putts exceptionally well. Zach Johnson Johnson Age: 30 World Rank: 40 2006 PGA Tour Earnings: $2,253,366 (17th) • Does nothing "outrageous," he says, and stats tell a tale of consistency. Johnson is 26th in driving accuracy and T-36 in GIR, which explains why he's 22nd in scoring (70.28). Might pair well with Vaughn Taylor or David Toms, who drive it similar lengths. Vaughn Taylor Taylor Age: 30 World Rank: 59 2006 PGA Tour Earnings: $1,648,554 (34th) • Above all else, he brings steady putting to the mix (T-6 on tour) and ranks T-11 in birdie average. Lehman raves about his competitiveness. Would not be a surprise if he were teamed with friend and fellow rookie Zach Johnson. Brett Wetterich Wetterich Age: 33 World Rank: 65 2006 PGA Tour Earnings: $2,199,163 (19th) • Could be the X factor, bringing a lethal combination of power and scoring. Wetterich ranks fourth in driving distance (at 308.7 yards) and is tied for third in birdie average, trailing only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell are possible partners. -- D.S.

"I was introduced to the Ryder Cup overseas, and I wanted to help them understand what it would be like," said Woods, who is preparing for his fifth Ryder Cup and ninth international team appearance. "I also wanted them to understand we're all in this together, and they're an important part of the team. They don't have to prove anything to anyone. Just go play."

"Just the opportunity to sit down with him and talk was really something," said Henry, who, like Johnson and Taylor, was born within a year of Woods. "The one thing that stood out was him telling us to play to win, but be proud of making the team whatever happens."

Providing reassurance to Ryder Cup rookies is ritual, but perhaps no previous incoming U.S. class has needed it as much as the one heading to Straffan, Ireland. The newcomers won't be walking around The K Club with scarlet F's on their chests, though random opinions from the golf intelligentsia suggest they should -- along with name tags. Naysayers might tell you the "F" is not for "first-timers," but rather "flukes." The Four Freshmen qualified under a points system installed by the PGA of America in the wake of the hideously dyspeptic 18½-9½ Yankee clipping the Europeans meted out in 2004 at Oakland Hills CC. Seeking to stack the squad with players who would be peaking by game time, the PGA placed heavy emphasis on 2006 performance, awarding five times as many points for '06 victories and four times as many points for top-10s compared to '05.

Despite all the gerrymandering, peaking isn't a word that comes to mind when describing the rookie class. In the tournaments between the Memorial in the first week of June, when Wetterich and Johnson tied for second, and the final qualifying event, the PGA Championship, the quartet combined for two top-10 finishes: Henry won the Buick Championship; Taylor tied for fourth at the Buick Open. Despite their tenuous positions in the points standings, only Henry made the cut at the PGA. None of the four finished in the top 30 in any of this year's major championships. Johnson, at 40th, is highest among the four in the Official World Golf Ranking, while the other three fall between 59th and 65th. Two of them, Wetterich and Taylor, have virtually no match-play experience. That said, three of the four have won more than $2 million on tour in 2006, and only Taylor (ranked 34th) is outside the top 25 in earnings.

That no other Americans -- notably veterans Stewart Cink, Fred Couples, Davis Love III and Scott Verplank -- could dislodge them seems, curiously, only to cast further doubt on the viability of the new points system and, in turn, the legitimacy of those at the bottom of the list who automatically qualified: the four rookies, in places 7-10. Some critics saw a more egregious flaw in the practice of distributing points solely for top-10 finishes in an era of growing international participation on the PGA Tour. U.S. captain Tom Lehman, who will not have the across-the-board complement of stars his predecessors had at their disposal (and which Europe has disposed of in six of the last 10 meetings), has suggested by his actions that the critics have a point. He logged his own Americans-only standings, and from that supplemental list he plucked his wild-card picks, Cink and Verplank, who were sixth and ninth, respectively.

Captains usually find themselves having to wholly justify their wild-card selections, but there hasn't been this much static about automatic berths since the 1991 U.S. team dragged to Kiawah Island a sinking Wayne Levi, who with four titles won the inaugural PGA Tour Player of the Year Award in 1990 but plummeted from second to 87th on the money list the following year.

Wallowing in this systemic cauldron are four players who make no apologies for simply excelling in the right calendar year. And neither they nor their teammates thinks they should. "Some of those guys I came up with, and even though some people might not have any respect for their games, it's because they don't know them," Chad Campbell said. "I'll tell you, they can play, and I'm glad they're on this team."

"Obviously, we did something right," sniffed Wetterich, who, at 33, is the oldest of the four and is the first player in history to go from Q school to a Ryder Cup berth in eight months, thanks largely to his victory at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. "I think there might always be a question about it, but those people who can't figure it out don't understand golf."

"We all have a desire to win; we all are winners," Henry pointed out. "We bring new blood and a good attitude, but now I think we're going to bring a chip on our shoulders, too."

Lehman has repeatedly stressed to potential team members the importance of embracing the challenge and enjoying the competition -- as the U.S. appeared to do in winning last year's Presidents Cup. But when it comes to the rookies, Lehman might consider cultivating that undercurrent of disrespect. Let anger temper the inevitable feelings of angst that come with a Ryder Cup debut. "I won't have any trouble being amped up for it," Johnson declared.

"I think these guys are going to be juiced," said Brad Faxon, a member of the '95 and '97 U.S. teams. "[They're] going to be nervous. Everyone is nervous. But it shouldn't be a scared nervous. I felt like it was one of the best things that ever happened to me in golf. I like the [new] guys on that team. I think they'll bring a little bit of fire."

Equally important might be what they don't bring: baggage. "Let's be honest," Henry said. "We've lost four of five. We haven't been setting the world on fire. We might not be household names, but a lack of history might not be all that bad a thing in this case."

Johnson and Taylor, who were born two weeks apart in 1976 and enjoy the closest relationship among the foursome from their days on the Nationwide Tour, agreed that Ryder Cup experience is important, but it might be overemphasized.

"All four of us have won tournaments," said Johnson, who is the farthest removed from victory, having won the 2004 BellSouth Classic, but in 2006 finished third in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where he defeated Lehman, teammate Jim Furyk and Retief Goosen. "I think experience is good no matter what it is, but all of us have proven that we can close out a win."

Added Taylor, the winner of the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2004 and 2005: "So what if we're rookies? So what if it's our first time in the Ryder Cup? It's still just golf. I've played golf for 20 years. I know I will be nervous, but I don't think we're all suddenly going to forget how to play."

Even members of the opposition seem to understand that untested doesn't mean unprepared. "You know," Luke Donald cautioned, "we had our share of rookies two years ago, and we did OK. Don't underestimate any of them." Indeed, the Europeans won the Ryder Cup with five rookies in 2004 (both teams had five first-timers that year), four in 2002 and five in 1997.

While Henry, in his sixth season, considers his berth an overdue achievement, and Johnson and Taylor have, between themselves, discussed this very scenario unfolding for them in lockstep, Wetterich admitted he never dreamed of having a chance to play for his country after coming off a 2005 campaign in which he had two top-10s and finished 132nd on the money list, prompting his return to Q school.

"Heck, yeah, I'm glad they changed the points system," he said. "To be in this position at this point in my career … it never crossed my mind, but things kind of spiraled and here I am."

Instead of being wary of his relative lack of experience, teammates are excited by his potential. "He's got the game that is perfect for the Ryder Cup," Cink insisted. "Hits it long, makes a lot of birdies. He'd be fun to play with."

Amid feelings of wonder and pride, Wetterich also has contended with more than a tinge of sadness and regret. Perched in the most vulnerable position and having missed the cut at Medinah CC, Wetterich watched the final round of the PGA with friends at the home of his sister, Michelle, in Cincinnati. When the standings, which had been chaotic and volatile for most of the year, remained unchanged, a party broke out. Only the presence of his late brother, Mark, killed in an automobile accident in Chicago by a drunk driver three years ago, would have made it better.

Wetterich has his brother's initials, MTW, stitched on his golf bag. He can't think of anything better than to have the initials on his U.S. team bag, too.

"He'd have loved this," said Wetterich, who shortly after his brother's death had to confront another tragedy when his mother-in-law died in an auto accident. "[Mark] would have gone over there and been keyed up. I think about him a lot. I wish he could have seen this. I'll try to go there and use the energy I know he would have had.

"It's going to be the experience of a lifetime," he added with a grin. "All I've heard from guys like Tiger and Jim Furyk is that it could be kind of a hostile environment. You've never heard such loud cheering over a missed putt, that kind of thing. I'm going to love every minute of it."

Looks like he might not be alone -- if he and the other newcomers don't forget the chips.