EUROPEAN CAPTAIN Colin Montgomerie wants and expects everybody still fighting for a Ryder Cup place to be in Scotland rather than America in the last week of qualifying.
Two years ago Ian Poulter caused a furore when he stayed in the States when he still could have got into the side on points by playing at Gleneagles in the Johnnie Walker Championship.
Nick Faldo stuck to his guns by picking Poulter, but whether Montgomerie – one of those who spoke out about the Englishman’s absence – hands anyone a wildcard in the same scenario now remains to be seen.
“I want to see them showing support for European golf and the European Tour and I will be very, very surprised if they are not there,” said the Scot yesterday on the eve of the Wales Open, over the same Celtic Manor course where October’s match takes place. “That would make a whole lot of sense to a whole lot of people. I am convinced that I will have around eight candidates for three spots. You can count on those eight playing at Gleneagles. They will be there.”
It is not just any event in the States the same week, however. It is the first of the four FedEx Cup play-off series events – a series that offers a €10 million reward – and among those likely to have qualified are Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Pádraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Brian Davis. Poulter and McIlroy have just about done enough to make it into the side already – as has Lee Westwood, who is not a US Tour member – and so will avoid Montgomerie’s wrath by being there, but the others need a strong summer to avoid the cup race in the last few weeks or week.
Graeme McDowell heads a 10-strong Irish contingent at Celtic Manor which includes Paul McGinley, Shane Lowry, Darren Clarke, Peter Lawrie, Damien McGrane, Gareth Maybin, Simon Thornton and Gary Murphy. Former Ryder Cup hero Philip Walton also plays on a sponsors invitation.
WALES OPEN
Course: Celtic Manor (Twenty Ten course).
Length: 7,378 yards. Par: 71.
Prizemoney: €2 million (€360,000 for the winner).
Layout: The Twenty Ten course, which will host the Ryder Cup in September, has five par threes with four of them over 200 yards. It has many demanding par fours – the 16th is the longest at 499 yards.
Field: 156.
Defending champion: Jeppe Huldahl from Denmark won by one shot from Niclas Fasth.
On TV: Sky Sports 3 daily (10.30am today.
Weather forecast: Sunny and warm with chance of light rain.
