No time for Langer to jump ship on Ryder Cup

BERNHARD LANGER has never been one for jumping fences before he met them so it was all the more surprising to hear him recently express some doubts about his position as 2004 European Ryder Cup captain.

I was just one of many who doubted the wisdom of his appointment in the first place because of the fear of Europe losing one of their most valuable players as a consequence.

The news was broken during the Nissan Irish Open at Portmarnock and the timing to many seemed rushed and unnecessary. Langer issued a brief statement to tell us how proud he was at being awarded the captaincy and all that kind of stuff but had nothing to say to those who believed he was taking the job at a time when he might still have a great deal to offer as a player.