Matthieu Pavon is about to enter the defense of his Farmers Insurance Open title with a desire to fulfill a childhood ambition and make his Ryder Cup debut in 2025, something that seemed like a mere possibility less than 18 months ago. A dream.

Europe regained the Ryder Cup title in September 2023, defeating Zach Johnson’s United States 16.5-11.5 in Rome, while Pavon remained winless in his eighth season on the DP World Tour. Ranked outside the top 200 in the world.

Less than four months later, Pavon was in the winner’s circle of the DP World Tour, earning dual membership for next season and becoming the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour in 117 years.

Pavin returns to Torrey Pines this week as the defending champion; sky sports live Starting on Wednesday, the Frenchman is keen to build on his memorable rookie season and force his way into Europe’s Ryder Cup plans.

“I think year two is always a confirmation year,” Pavin said before defending his title at Torrey Pines. “That’s a great rookie (in 2024), but now it’s time to confirm, it’s time to show up again and try to win games.

“This is a really important year for me because it’s also a Ryder Cup year. It’s one of the goals I’ve been chasing since I was a kid. A lot has happened this year and I can’t wait to get started.”

How failure propelled Pavin to success on PGA Tour

Pavon has waited a long time to build his reputation in the sport, from his two early successes on the Alpine Tour (a third-level circuit) to his breakthrough on the DP World Tour, where he for eight years.

He changed his driver and putter in the final week of the Ryder Cup and finished second in a mini-tour event in France for €6,000, then changed his driver and putter soon after and won two more The long-awaited success was achieved at the Acciona Open in Spain a few weeks later. .

He notched a thrilling four-shot victory in his 185th DP World Tour event in the city where his late grandfather was born, and a further transformation came a month later at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. , his career took a further turn.

Pavon birdied his final four holes to move into the top five and crack the global top 10 for the fifth time in a memorable 2024, which earned him a PGA Tour card and a move from the Race to Dubai rankings Got a dual membership for next season.

He immediately made a statement in the United States, winning the Farmers Insurance Open – his third PGA Tour event of the season – becoming the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour since Arnaud Massy in 1907 man and received invitations to all four majors.

Pavin impressed on his Masters debut, played in the U.S. Open, represented France at the Olympics and won the late-season Tour Championship in a whirlwind campaign that had seen him struggle previously. propelling him to success on the world stage.

“I think it’s definitely the failure that (helped),” Pavin explained. “We say it all the time, but you can achieve great things until you fail a lot, and I’ve had a lot of different failures in my career.

“When I came back to Europe and played on the mini tour, I failed to make the cut to the Challenge Tour for four bucks a year, which was nothing — not even a chance. Then I went back to Q School, went to Q School , and then competed on the Challenge Tour.

“It was the same on the Challenge Tour. The great years started well, then dropped a few places and I had to finish second in the last event to qualify for my tour. That was it, until I ended up on Tour Winning a year and a championship in Spain – half a year ago – I failed many times before succeeding.

“I think it just makes me a better player because the more times you fail, the more you learn about yourself. It’s a long experience, but when you get to the top, you feel more comfortable, Better prepared.”

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Will the Ryder Cup be the next tournament for “Special” Pavin?

There hasn’t been a Frenchman on the Ryder Cup team since Victor Dubuisson in 2014, but Pavon’s performance in the Team Cup at the start of the year showed why he could end that wait.

The three-day team match play was reintroduced to the DP World Tour schedule to help prepare for this year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, following the continent’s 17-8 defeat by Great Britain. , Pavin became tied with the Irish in scoring.

Pavon partnered Roman Langeske, who had won each of his first three matches and matched Tommy Fleetwood’s birdie burst in the singles, but lost 3-1 to his The performance was praised by Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and his backroom team.

“He (Pavon) is special,” said Paul McGinley, a former Ryder Cup captain and Donald’s strategic advisor for the 2025 Team Cup. “He has a bit of grit about him.

“While we are looking at this Ryder Cup in a different way than any previous away game, we are looking for character, cunning and courage, as well as people who can play in a hostile environment.

“I think Pavin brings that to the table, so he’s been really impressive. He had a big year in America last year and that sets him up for a big year this year,” Because he plays in all the majors and signature events.”

With the Ryder Cup still nine months away, players have plenty of time to push their names into automatic qualifying spots or make themselves one of the six captains selected by Donald.

Pavin has proven over the past year that he can compete with the best in the world, and his Team Cup performance has proven his ability in a team environment, although if his Ryder Cup dream is to become a reality, Still need a great 2025. A strong title defense at Torrey Pines would be a good start.

Who will win the Farmers Insurance Open? Watch live coverage on Sky Sports all week long. Sky Sports Golf will begin early coverage on Wednesday at 4.45pm, with full coverage starting at 8pm. Get Sky Sports or NOW Live broadcast of PGA Tour, major championships and more without signing a contract.