Bill Elliott
Sunday September 3, 2006
The Observer
Ian Woosnam's wish list as Europe's Ryder Cup captain, which is scheduled to be expressed in Germany this afternoon, extends only to his choice of two golfers to finish off the dozen scheduled to take on the United States in Ireland this month. Pity.
If Woosie had one real wish at this moment it would be that Colin Stuart Montgomerie finally learnt to keep his big mouth shut. This, of course, is unlikely.
It is a decade since an exasperated European Tour official interrupted my discourse on the amount of gaiety the big man brought to the golf scene, mostly accidentally, to say: 'The problem with Montgomerie is not that he has an opinion. That's fine. We can live with that. No, the problem is that the bugger has an opinion on bloody everything.'
It is true. Monty cannot help himself. In his opinion, his opinion is the superior one and this is now an opinion, in my opinion at least, that he is unlikely to change in the next several decades. Reporters love him because they can ask him anything and, while they need to be aware that they may occasionally need to duck, they know that words will spill from those lips. And quotable words they will be.
So it is no surprise that the only player to make any comment about Jose Maria Olazabal's decision to skip the final qualifying event in Munich so he can stroll out into the Spanish foothills to shoot a few quail was Big Flouncy Bird himself. When Olazabal was told that Monty had queried his right to be 'tired' at this point in the year, the Spaniard was incandescent.
Apart from this 'issue' being none of Montgomerie's business, the other fact is that Ollie does not care quite as much as the Scot when it comes to the Ryder Cup.
To put it another way, Monty sees the Ryder Cup as his Really Big Thing. This is partly because he does traditionally play a central role in the matches, but also because he needs to convince himself that his Ryder Cup heroics, on top of all those European number-one titles, mean that he has secured his place in the game's more relevant history books, despite not having won a major.
Olazabal, on the other hand, has won two Masters titles. End of story.
What is certain is that Olazabal will not shy from telling Monty to his face where he may stick his criticism when, as is probable, they meet up in Ireland. And this unnecessary bit of friction within the Europe team is more than it at first might seem. The accepted view as to why inferior Europe teams consistently beat the Americans is based on the thought that, while they never speak to each other our lads never stop yakking away.
This image of a bunch of European musketeers cruising around the world laughing and joking with each other while shovelling shed loads of money is as reassuringly pleasing as it is mistaken. Sure, Europe's golfers tend to know each other rather better than their American counterparts, but that is about it.
Take Monty, for instance. Or rather don't. Right now there are three members of the Europe team who would prefer to have me as their playing partner at the K Club. Depending on who Woosnam picks, this figure will have increased by tonight.
So who will Woosie select? Going into this final event, he knew the answer to this question a week ago, tapping his nose and looking sly when asked about it. Now he is not so sure and the sly looks have given way to the slightly haunted demeanour that comes over all captains when they realise that it is time to step up to the microphone and to put their reputations on the air.
Already, US captain Tom Lehman has incurred contempt for the conservative selections of Stewart Cink and Scott Verplank. Now Woosie has backed himself into a corner. Having invited Darren Clarke to declare his enthusiasm for a game, he has heard from the Northern Irishman, who is ready to return to work after his wife's death from cancer. That is OK, then.
Well, yes, except that the struggling Lee Westwood needs a pick as well and he has answered the captain's call, got out of his sickbed and when last seen was doing well in Germany.
Which brings us to Thomas Bjorn.The Dane would have been a shoo-in for the team had he not been forced by illness and injury to miss some big events early in the year. So two must be permed from three.
Woosnam's only escape route comes if Bjorn secures an unlikely victory today. Paul McGinley would then exit the qualifying places and while this would be sad for a hugely likeable man, the harsh but fair truth is that he has been playing like a drain for the past six months.
Clarke and Westwood could then be picked and Woosnam could return to considering whether he should have the colour taken out of his hair before the cameras begin to focus on him. A return to his normal colour should be his easiest decision after a trying week.
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