Given the number of Jews who enjoy golf, you wonder why there are none at the top levels of the game — except of course for the newly appointed US Ryder Cup captain, Corey Pavin.

Actually, Pavin counts as a near miss. He was born Jewish but at the vital moment, he lost his concentration and converted to evangelical Christianity (the spiritual equivalent of the yips). Mark Reason speculated in the Daily Telegraph that his background might have played a part in the appointment: “Is it possible that the PGA saw a Jesus syndrome in Pavin, a convert from Judaism to Christianity?”
This would certainly give him an advantage when traversing water hazards at the Celtic Manor course in 2010.