Seve Trophy:Strange how things change so quickly, as yesterday's captain's picks from Nick Faldo confirmed. Almost a year to the day since three Irish players were at the heart of Europe's win in the 2006 Ryder Cup, Faldo's selection of Simon Dyson and Marc Warren as his two "wild card" choices for next week's Seve Trophy at The Heritage, outside Portlaoise, means there won't be a home player in the 10-man Britain and Ireland team.
For sure, the complete absence of Irishmen won't help the event, which pits B and I against Continental Europe in the fifth edition of the match. Paul McGinley, a vice-captain for next year's Ryder Cup match at Valhalla, had strongly hinted he would like to play, but Faldo - perhaps with an eye ahead to Kentucky - opted instead for the young pretenders rather than the old hand.
"I'm obviously disappointed to be missing the tournament in my home country and I wish everybody on the team the best of luck. I should have played better (to make it automatically)," said McGinley, a player who thrives in team competition and had played in each of the four previous Seve Trophy matches.
British Open champion Padraig Harrington, who did qualify to play on the B and I team, withdrew on Monday citing "fatigue and injuries", while Darren Clarke failed to qualify automatically and had not pursued a wild-card pick.
Faldo's decision to pick two Seve Trophy "rookies" means there will be five newcomers to the event on his team, the others being Phillip Archer, Graeme Storm and Oliver Wilson.
"Captaining the team offers me a great opportunity to see some of the young players who have been performing well on tour this season in action at a matchplay event. This was the most important factor for me when making my wild-card selections," he said.
Warren is currently 35th on the European Tour order of merit and 127th in the world rankings (four places behind Graeme McDowell, incidentally), while Dyson is 36th on the order of merit and ranked 78th in the world.
McDowell, like McGinley, could be entitled to feel a little aggrieved at being bypassed, given he played in the 2005 event and contributed two-and-a-half points from four matches in B and I's win and has shown improved form in recent months.
Faldo, though, was obviously not influenced by the fact the absence of an Irish player could affect the crowds passing through the gates.
In explaining his reason, the Englishman said, "In Marc Warren I'm bringing a player to the team that has come through a sudden-death play-off to claim each of his four professional wins, proving that he has a cool head under pressure. He has also partnered Monty (Colin Montgomerie) with great success in the World Cup."
Two of Warren's pro wins have come on the full tour, the other two on the Challenge Tour. His most recent success came in front of his home support when defeating Simon Wakefield for the Johnnie Walker at Gleneagles.
Of his decision to pick Dyson, Faldo said: "In Simon we have a player that has proved that he can perform under the spotlight following a gritty performance at this year's US PGA Championship (where he finished tied-sixth)."
Seve Ballesteros, the captain of continental Europe, finalised his team by adding his compatriot Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn.
"Gonzalo is one of the most exciting young players on tour, and Thomas is a great competitor in this format," said Ballesteros.
Yet, when all is said and done, the absence of an Irish player on the B and I team - despite the fact that it is one that features world number 13 Justin Rose and also includes Ryder Cup players Montgomerie and Paul Casey - is a bit like making an Irish stew without any meat.
