Ryder changes are made

Brian Meek, The Herald, 20 September 2001

The ever-changing calendar for future Ryder Cups was revised again last night. This year's postponed contest between Europe and the United States will take place at The Belfry on September 27 to 29 next year; the following three matches will go back a year as well, to 2004, 2006, and 2008.

These new dates come after discussions between the European Tour, the PGA of America, and the US Tour. It means that the first Ryder Cup on Irish soil, at the K Club just outside Dublin, will take place in 2006. The Irish government were consulted and have given their backing to the delay of a year.

In 2004, the Ryder Cup will be held at Oakland Hills in Detroit and Valhalla in Louisville will be the venue in 2006. Next year's match is scheduled to follow on from the American Express World Championship, which is to be held at Mount Juliet in Ireland. Almost all the Ryder Cup players from both sides are expected to be qualified to take part in this event.

The reason for the change to even years for the world's most popular matchplay contest is that the Americans are committed to taking on the Interna-tional team - a side containing players from the rest of the world, excluding Europe - in the Presidents Cup series. This was due for South Africa in November next year but is now expected to move to 2003 and be played in odd years in future.

Confused? Well, since the tragedies in New York and Washington, the international fixture list had to be rewritten as the Americans are not travelling at the moment. For next year it had been announced that Europe and America would field the same teams and the same captains, Sam Torrance and Curtis Strange.

That raises the possibility that a player could win a major, the Open or the US Open, for instance, and still find himself excluded from either side.

Significantly, the European Tour are to embark on a poll of players over the qualifying system to be used for 2004. This year Torrance was forced to leave out two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal from the European side. A move to use the world rankings as well as the European Tour order of merit would enable European players operating mainly in America to have a better chance of qualifying and will be one of the options.

As for supporters who are holding tickets for this year's postponed match, they must wait another 36 hours to know what will happen to their money and the arrangements for buying tickets for next year.

It is, for everyone, an administrative nightmare. As predicted yesterday, Scotland has almost certainly lost out to Wales in the bid to stage the 2009, now probably 2010, Ryder Cup. Glen-eagles, Turnberry, Carnoustie, and Loch Lomond have been pipped by Celtic Manor in Wales, though one still awaits official confirmation.

The Welsh, who have been able to use European Union money to help finance their bid, which the Scots have not, have had the support for some time of European Tour executive director Ken Schofield, himself a Scot, and the result would appear to be a formality.

Scotland may be offered the chance to stage the 2014 contest, probably at Gleneagles.

As if to acknowledge the current state of play, Gavin Hastings, the spokesman for the Scottish bid, told the BBC: "From our perspective we are going to be successful in the ambition to host the Ryder Cup. If you look at it in a positive way, we now have an extra four years to plan for this great event." Always the optimist, our Gavin.