Scots keep their fingers crossed

Lewine Mair, The Telegraph, 7 February 2001

Colin Montgomerie was on hand at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh yesterday to push for the 2009 Ryder Cup to be played in his homeland. Not for the first time he was asked if, in the event of Scotland being chosen, he expected to be there as player or captain.

Montgomerie reminded his audience he would be 46 in 2009. Then, citing how the PGA took the match to Spain in 1997 in order that Seve Ballesteros might be captain, he added: "Hopefully, they might think the same for me in Scotland."

Originally, interested parties were told they would hear by the end of January whether Scotland, Wales or England was the chosen country. Now, there is a delay, with no one knowing whether a decision will be made after next Wednesday's meeting of the PGA, at the end of the month, or even later.

What is going on?

One school of thought is that the match had been half-promised to Scotland long before it was confirmed a bidding process was going to be employed.

When the bidding process was introduced, the Scots would presumably have been reassured that no one else would be able to match what they had to offer.

Then, though, Wales startled everyone with an unexpectedly impressive bid worth £50 million, some of which was going to come from a European fund for which the Principality will qualify from next year.

Dr Terry Matthews, the owner of Celtic Manor, the only Welsh course capable of holding the match, was the man behind the move.

Since the Welsh had met virtually all the criteria laid down in the regulations, Scotland had to demonstrate they could do the same. They could not confirm everything at once and, rightly or wrongly, there are those in Wales who believe that it was for Scotland's sake that the January deadline was extended. Yesterday the Scots topped up the financial side of their package with £750,000 provided by the Scottish Executive and the Bank of Scotland.

Along with the money, they promised they would be implementing what had originally sounded something of a tall order. Namely, that they would introduce every child under nine to golf by 2009.

All credit to them if they bring it about, but it is to be hoped that it will not be along the same lines as 'Love Tennis' wherein children said hello and goodbye to the sport in the space of a couple of hours.

You have to feel for the Scots for, if they lose the 2009 Ryder Cup now, it will owe at least something to the PGA's understandable urge to be seen to be conducting a fair contest. Mind you, the PGA cannot think all would suddenly be well were they to take the match to Wales.

Were that to happen, they would risk the massed ire of Scots who will swear they were told the match was coming north, with the Monarch's Course at Gleneagles the most likely site.

Wales believe the right outcome would be for them to host the match in 2009 and the Scots in 2013. They say if they do not get it this time, it is unlikely they will bid again, largely because the aforementioned European funding is only available for the next six years.

There has been a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that the PGA would maybe do best to go to Slaley Hall, the club put forward by England.

The theory, here, is that while the Slaley Hall personnel would not believe their luck at being named hosts, Scotland and Wales would at least be less upset than had either lost the match to the other.