Langer still searching for answers

WITH the race for places in Europe's Ryder Cup team now past the halfway stage, captain Bernhard Langer still has plenty of questions to be answered ahead of September's Oakland Hills showdown.

The start of the Seville Open today marks the 24th of 45 tournaments before Langer, who last week finished fourth in the US Masters, will finalise his 12-man squad. While American captain Hal Sutton can be happy with the way his side is shaping up, the biggest concern being whether Jim Furyk recovers in time from wrist surgery, Langer has much to ponder over the next four months.

At present, the 10 players in position for automatic qualification are as follows (and in order): Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Darren Clarke, Fredrik Jacobson, Lee Westwood, Brian Davis, Ian Poulter, Raphael Jacquelin, Paul Casey and Carlos Rodiles.

Only three members of the victorious 2002 team are there, namely Harrington, Clarke and Westwood. And of the others, only Jimenez has cup experience.

Even after his fourth place finish in the Masters on Sunday, Sergio Garcia would need another wild card as things stand and so would Colin Montgomerie, Open runner-up Thomas Bjorn, Justin Rose, Jesper Parnevik, Luke Donald, Jose Maria Olazabal and Alex Cejka.

But trouble is, Langer will have only two to hand out come the end of August.

Nothing wrong, of course, in having a number of rookies because their impact in recent years has been nothing short of stunning.

Who will ever forget Christy O'Connor Jnr at The Belfry in 1989, Philip Walton at Oak Hill in 1995 and both Paul McGinley and Phillip Price back at The Belfry two years ago?

The great unknown for Langer at the moment is whether Parnevik, Donald, Cejka and other US Tour-based players will even be available to him.

They have until the end of next month to commit themselves to 11 European tour events this season. If they do not they will not be eligible, even for a wild card.

Langer joint fourth in the Masters himself, but adamant he will not play at Oakland Hills admits it is a problem and wishes the decision had not been passed by the players' committee he sits on.

Obvious favourite this week in the absence of all those who played at Augusta is Jimenez, whose victory in the Portuguese Open a fortnight ago came too late to earn him a spot in the first major of the year.

It was Jimenez's third victory since qualifying started last September and he is now back in the world's top 40.