Sunday 29th August 2010. As the motorway jams slowly grow in time for a good old fashioned Bank Holiday Monday traffic crescendo, Colin Montgomerie will have other things on his mind when he (at last) announces the final European 12-man 2010 Ryder Cup team.
Drum roll.
No questions about Monty’s personal life please (“or I’ll get my lawyers out, I just want to talk about the golf”) which, quite frankly, is fair enough. The final team selection is way more interesting and doesn’t require any press super-injunctions.
Now isn’t the time to debate the merits of Europe’s Ryder Cup selection process, although clearly the system is far from ideal. Having worked on Wales’s original Ryder Cup bid team back in 2001, I am far more excited about the prospect of what Celtic Manor will deliver, as well as which players will go head to head as the epic battle takes place on Welsh soil for the first time ever.
For Monty, his job is simple. Select the 12 best players for the job to enable Europe to win back the Ryder Cup. Sounds easy. However, the task of choosing the team is nothing short of mission impossible for our man up in Gleneagles.
In breaking news this afternoon, Scottish Open champion Francesco Molinari has just clinched a place in the team after an injury forced Ross McGowan to quit the Johnnie Walker Championship. The Italian Molinari joins Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Ross Fisher at Celtic Manor in October. They are guaranteed to be there – the final two automatic spots and three wildcards are still up for grabs.
All eyes will be on this weekend’s final Tour results in Scotland and America, which may yet have a critical impact on the team’s final make-up. Which is why the charismatic Miguel Angel Jimenez has opted to miss a major family wedding (poor old nephew) to play at Gleneagles this weekend. Should he drop out of the guaranteed places, my first wildcard would go to the Spaniard for showing real dedication to the cause, as well as for the spirit he will undoubtedly bring to the dressing room. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
This Saturday night will see Monty hosting a dinner at his newly-built mansion for his three elected Ryder Cup vice-captains: Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn and Paul McGinley. What a fantastic place for any flies on the wall to loiter. Between the quartet, they will debate who of the remaining players truly contending for wildcard selection will be granted one of the places.
Interestingly, the players fall neatly into two groups:
- The ‘stars’ who have remained in the States chasing the American dollar, choosing not to play in Europe despite Monty’s requests to do so (Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington & Luke Donald)
- The lesser known foot soldiers who have demonstrated gut-busting determination to make the team, as well as far greater dedication to the European Tour (Alvaro Quiros, Robert Karlsson, Simon Dyson. Sadly no place for the injured Ross McGowan now, next time)
Peter Hanson’s victory in last weekend’s Czech Open will have added to Monty’s headaches this weekend, as his win pushed Paul Casey out of the automatic qualifying spots.
Left to a deciding committee of Engine employees, following a straw poll I did at 60 Great Portland Street this afternoon, Engine’s chosen three for the wildcard places were Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Padraig Harrington – with Luke Donald just behind and a few sympathy votes for Henrik Stenson (got to love the spirit the Swedes give a Ryder Cup team), Sergio Garcia (a wild long shot but the heartbeat of the previous five Ryder Cup teams) and Bradley Dredge (the boyo knows how to play at Celtic Manor).
As last viewing, the latest odds suggest it will be either Justin Rose or Luke Donald who will miss out a place. Donald has a great Ryder Cup record but is currently 1/3 to be selected and Rose, who despite being unbeaten in the 2008 Ryder Cup, has the longest odds of the four leading players at 1/2. Harrington, despite poor form this season, looks set to line up at Celtic Manor (heavily odds-on 1/33 favourite) and Casey is not far behind at 1/12.
As for me, the mantra is simple.
Monty must select the players the Americans would least like to face. On that basis alone, my votes would go to Padraig Harrington (three time Major winner, now must step up and re-find his form), Luke Donald (number 10 in the world rankings, greatly admired in the US and unbeaten in Ryder Cup partnership) and Paul Casey (a decent Ryder Cup record although a more reluctant personal choice as I think he should have showed up at Gleneagles). If Justin Rose (a natural partner for Ian Poulter and the world number 22) were to sneak in at the final hour, I won’t be sorry. Have always had a soft spot for our English Rose. The US picks are also far from certain, and it will be interesting to see what Corey Pavin does with his 12 men, particularly whether the newly-divorced Tiger Woods will be lining up at Celtic Manor.
Lots of unanswered questions still. A big weekend of golf ahead. 35 days to go until the main event tees off. Let (selection) battle commence…
By Stephanie Branston on August 26th, 2010
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“An embarrassment of riches” – how the final wildcard selection process was described ahead of this evening’s European press conference. And so it proved.
The final 12 golfers making up Team Europe, surely not widely predicted at the start of the season, are now known – Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Francesco Molinari, Peter Hanson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari.
Edoardo’s stunning victory at Gleneagles today proved to be bad news for two of the Fed-Ex Four, Casey and Rose, competing in The Barclays in New Jersey, both missing out. For Rose, a hard decision – a multiple winner on the PGA Tour denied a place in Europe’s Ryder Cup team in the same season. And for Casey, not widely renowned for being a true team player, interesting that he was the one player Monty did not manage to speak to this afternoon before the official press announcement. One wonders whether his place was only edged out in the final hours of today by Edoardo.
So there we have it. Five Europeans making their Ryder Cup debuts, the first siblings to play in the Ryder Cup since the Hunt brothers played for Britain in 1963 and yet another European Vice Captain (#4) in Sergio Garcia.
Over to Corey Pavin next to announce his American team on Tuesday. The Ryder Cup plot thickens…
Firstly, I wanted to thank Steph for getting me all excited about the wildcard selection ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend. As I hacked my way around Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Golf (a recent Volvo World Match Play course) on Saturday morning in 42 degrees of dry heat the only topic of conversation (minus the ice cold towels that were delivered by the caddy master’s minons every 4 holes) was – who will Monty pick???
Well I for one would never have picked Edoardo Molinari but what a brilliant coup for Europe to have two brothers playing in the foursomes/balls. I can’t see how Corey can better that…Also as a die hard Sergio fan, I crongratulate the somewhat dour looking Colin on his selection of a fourth Vice Captain, Sr Garcia will thrive on keeping the team spirit alive.
Whilst I would have put money on Casey getting a pick, I look at this team and think Monty has picked a cracker! It will be interesting to see how the in-form yet seemingly quiet Kaymer will react to the big personalities of Poulter and Jiminez but for all the ying, you need the yang too.
Surely we now have a winning formula with Luuuuuuuuuuuke (the former sweet heart of American college golf) on our side and the luck of three Irish (yes yes i know Rory & Graeme are from north of the border)… Roll on Celtic Manor, I can’t wait!
Edoardo Molinari winning the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles seemed to put a spoke in Monty’s wheel. I got the distinct impression that he hadn’t planned to pick him and then found he had no choice when the Italian shot three birdies on the last three holes to win the event in stunning style.
The question then is, who (out of Casey and Rose) was he going to pick to make up his three if Molinari hadn’t been in the mix?
Sympathy seems to be most on the side of Casey who seemed to have a genuine case (‘scuse the pun) to be picked – especially now he is No. 8 in the world rankings. Although there are some who feel that Rose’s claim was as justified – especially as he has such a good Ryder Cup record with Ian Poulter.
Harrington is going to have to play superbly to justify his selection and his Ryder Cup record is not great so far.
Another point of discussion is the timing of the announcement. Of course the European Tour has obligations to its Gleneagles sponsor and a 6pm Sunday announcement provides welcome additional publicity. However, would it have been more sensible to have waited to see the outcome of the Barclays event in New Jersey? Monty would have had severe egg on face if Casey or Rose had actually won the event – unlikely, granted, but anything’s possible in golf.
Despite all the controversy, Monty is right. The European team is strong, whoever is picked, so on now to beating the Americans – resoundingly!