A few weeks ago Ian Woosnam came over all bitter about the sport that has made him a fortune when he announced that he was on the lookout for something less painfully frustrating to while away his days.

Now he is a born-again professional, keener than ever here at the Wales Open, which starts at Celtic Manor this morning, to finish his glittering career with a bang. Or at least a place in the Ryder Cup team next month.

"Sam wants me to play in the team. Definitely. He wants experience. He says they have never won a Ryder Cup without me being in it, well, not in the last three decades anyway," said the man who will be at the Belfry anyway as Torrance's vice-captain.

"I think Sam still wants me to be vice-captain if I'm playing. I definitely feel I could do both jobs. I've seen who does what and I know what it involves . . . just making people play well."

Just why Woosnam himself is suddenly playing so well is hard to pinpoint. Even he does not know. It has been that way always. Mercurial is one word that attaches itself to him neatly, likewise brilliant and unpredictable. That the Welshman is now back to something close to his best is, however, without doubt.

A second place in Ireland followed by joint third in the Open has lifted his spirits and his chances of making the team.

"Now I need to win," he said. "Victory here would give me £166,000 (sterling) and that would put me very close. So the goal is simple: to win."

Woosnam's last appearance in the Ryder Cup, his eighth in total, came four years ago in Europe's victory at Valderrama.

Helping him try to achieve his ninth will be his new caddie, Nick Hooper, a friend who is a sports physiotherapist from Jersey. Moreover he is a nine-handicap golfer who plays socially with Woosnam and also helps him stretch his 43-year-old body into better shape most mornings.

Hooper's inexperience as a caddie may be seen as a bit of a drawback, but Woosnam's recent experiences of a hardened pro hardly allow much concern on that point.

What is certain is that Hooper brings something unique to the caddie shack. As well as counting his master's clubs, wetting his towel and making sure the bananas are packed, he will continue to work on Woosnam's body.