There was a brief moment during Monday's press conference that said all you needed to know about what Corey Pavin thinks about Rickie Fowler.
To be sure, using one your four captain's picks on the selection of a winless, PGA Tour rookie is a bold, if not surprising move, but in explaining his faith in the 21-year-old star, Pavin displayed the same, cool confidence he exerted on the golf course en route to his 15 PGA Tour wins and the 1995 U.S. Open championship.
"It just came down to feelings," said Pavin. "I had a gut feeling about Rickie."
Moments later, after Fowler had completed another sensible, if not cliché, response to a conference call question, Pavin piped up and delivered a quick, "atta boy, Rickie," that suggested a fondness for the Oklahoma Sate product that goes beyond his talent as a golfer.
When asked whether he would concede a risk involved in exposing such an inexperienced player to what will surely be the most hostile and partisan galleries he has ever faced, Pavin pointed out that Fowler's flashy style masks a man mature beyond his years.
"No. That's why I picked him," he explained. "I think he can handle it, and that's why I picked him.
I think he's a very mature young man. He's had experience in international play, very solid player, and I think as you listen to his answers just a few minutes ago, he's got a very steady head on his shoulders."
Fowler's detractors - and those who believe Pavin should have opted for one of J.B. Holmes, Anthony Kim or Lucas Glover instead - argue experience should always trumpet youth when assembling a team that will play on foreign soil.
It's easy to forget now, but up until his 1992 Masters win, Fred Couples was best known for his meltdown at the 1989 event in England when the then Ryder Cup rookie fanned on a 9-iron from the middle of the 18th fairway during his Sunday singles match to bogey the hole and ensure Europe retained the Cup.
To this day it remains one of the most famous examples of a Ryder Cup rookie wilting under pressure, and too easy fodder for those looking to quibble with Pavin's choice of Fowler.
But for every Couples in '89, there is a Sergio Garcia in '99, a Zach Johnson in '06 or a Justin Rose in '08 - rookies who not only survived, but thrived when thrust into the pressure cooker.
It wasn't clear before Monday, it's obvious now that Pavin sees something special in Fowler - a confidence and a fearlessness that leads one to believe we will likely see him play a much bigger role than that of 12th man on the team.
By relying on his "guts" we now know what type of captain Corey Pavin will be, and in a few weeks the world will be watching closely to see what's going on inside of Rickie Fowler's.
