Ryder Cup Cymru

 I was extremely proud and delighted when they announced approximately 10 years ago that the Ryder Cup would be played in Wales, my homeland, for the first time. It is mind boggling when I realized the other day that the biennial fixture is less than a month away and Celtic Manor is bracing itself for three days of compulsive drama to be witnessed by golf fans on either side of the pond.

  However, I am truly disappointed that the European team does not include one Welshman, the captain Colin Montgomerie is pseudo Scottish and the ever growing contingent of vice-captains could not accommodate a Welshman. The obvious choice for captain should have been the Welsh corgi, Ian Woosnam, but he successfully accepted the chalice in 2006 and won the cup at the K Club in Ireland containing three Irishmen.

 Now don’t get me wrong; Monty has a wonderful record as a player in the Ryder Cup, but as a people person and the captain of his contemporaries, he is a powder keg waiting to explode. He has a habit of shooting himself in the foot and will use a bread knife to amputate his bloodied body part rather than take the conventional route of orthopedic surgery. Earlier this week he  announced to the world media that Rhys Davies, a promising Welsh golfer plying his trade on the European tour, would drive the captain’s buggy around the course, run his bath in the morning and shine his shoes before changing into his mascot uniform.

 Furthermore, Montgomerie attempted to placate Welsh fans by announcing to the world that the legendary Gareth Edwards would be riding the fairways during the contest as honorary cheerleader. Don’t be surprised if Colin gives him a cube of sugar and pats him on the head for his troubles.

 Recently he has fought to retain credibility as Ryder Cup captain by attempting to suppress tabloid allegations of marriage infidelities and a budding sex scandal including embarrassing photos of the full Monty. David Feherty once described Monty as “having a face like a bulldog licking the piss off a nettle,” and I for one have no desire to view his wobbly bits across the newspaper on a Sunday morning. I merely address this issue because he sanctimoniously chose to comment on Tiger Woods unfortunate transgressions when tact and diplomacy should have been the order of the day.

 Moving on, golf analysts have suggested that the European team could be the strongest ever selected. It includes the US Open Champion, Graham McDowell and the PGA Champion, Martin Kaymer. Under the selection process, nine of the twelve members of the team are picked on merit. Four are selected from the World rankings and five from the European points list; leaving 3 wildcards to be selected by the captain. This is where the selection process became discombobulated (to throw into a state of confusion.) I’m sorry; I have recently been reading Melvyn Bragg novels.

 Monty was faced with having to choose three from five deserving candidates: Edoardo Molinari, Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey and Justin Rose. All five golfers were asked to play the Johnnie Walker Classic at Gleneagles which was to be the final tournament for acquiring Ryder Cup points for automatic selection. Only Molinari competed in the tournament while the other mercenaries followed the American dollar available in the FedEx Cup. Molinari duly won at Gleneagles and Monty had no alternative but to pick him.

 Monty chose, for his other two wild cards, Harrington and Donald on the premise that Harrington has won 3 majors but has not won a tournament in two years. He did not win a match in the previous two Ryder Cups and quite frankly his selection is baffling. Luke Donald has a very good record in the Ryder Cup and won the Welsh Open at Celtic Manor in the summer.

  However, Paul Casey omission doesn’t make sense. He’s ranked No.8 in the world, was runner-up in The Open, won the World Matchplay in 2006, and a finalist in the last two WGC-Accenture Championships in Arizona. Justin Rose had a successful Ryder Cup in 2008, forming a winning partnership with Ian Poulter and defeated Phil Mickelson in the singles. At 23rd in the World Rankings, Rose is twelve places higher than Donald, so there is no logical justification to Monty’s picks.

 Furthermore, there are injury doubts concerning Lee Westwood, the top ranked player in the team. He has a nagging calf injury but should be fit to play. However, when he steps on the first tee at Celtic Manor, it will be 74 days since he last completed a tournament which is not the ideal preparation for a competition of this magnitude.

 Without further ado these are the twelve men ready to go into battle with mighty America on 1st October:

Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Francesco Molinari, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Peter Hanson, Eduardo Molinari, Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington.

 If you intend traveling to Wales for the Ryder Cup, take your clubs with you because there are some beautiful courses around the country that are second to none in England, Scotland and Ireland. Celtic Manor was designed specifically to stage the Ryder Cup and it is not your typical Welsh golf course. To whet your appetite I recommend three courses within relative spitting distance of Celtic Manor that I have played and thoroughly enjoyed: Rolls of Monmouth, Royal Porthcawl and my all time favorite Pennard. Let me know if you want additional information on these and other courses in Wales.

 

 

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