Twelve tickets to The K Club
Ten will have come through the two qualifying processes, while two more will be chosen by captain Ian Woosnam. The quest for points
begins this week at the European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre in the Swiss Alps and will continue until the BMW event brings down the curtain this time next year. Speculation has already begun regarding the composition of the European team.
However, it would be wise to bear in mind that there are several candidates likely to put their personal careers ahead of representing their continent on one of golf's greatest occasions. Greg Owen, the one-time European journeyman who has made a spectacular impact on the US Tour with the help of his Irish caddie JP Fitzgerald, has already stressed he intends to concentrate almost exclusively on the US Tour. That means he will no longer be a member of the European Tour and so cannot be considered for Ryder Cup selection.
Few will regard Owen's unavailability and that of 2001 hero Phillip Price and Jesper Parnevik for the same reason as a serious blow to the European cause.
Another, Fredrik Jacobson, would be sorely missed.
The Swede lost out last time in the most unfortunate manner, finishing 6th in both the world ranking and European Tour points lists and then failed
to get one of Bernhard Langer's two "wild card" selections. He has also indicated that America is his priority. Many explanations were put forward for Europe's domination of the 2004 match at Oakland Hills and the fact that they have been successful in four of the last five matches.
Depth of talent is an obvious explanation although it now remains to be seen whether the same happy situation will prevail on this occasion.
Woosnam has admitted the loss of Owen and Jacobson is a concern and cast a glance in the direction of European Tour supremo George O'Grady.
However, much as O'Grady wants to see the trophy in European hands, he has his own agenda. He and his colleagues at Wentworth are finding it difficult enough to meet the demands of their sponsors to put out strong fields every week without seeing the cream of the crop dripping slowly but regularly enough in the direction of the US circuit.
Confining Ryder Cup selection to those who play a minimum of 11 tournaments in Europe is one of the strongest cards he has to play.
However, Europe should still be well equipped to meet the American challenge. Each of the Oakland Hills' 12 will still be available with most, at present anyway, in excellent form. Colin Montgomerie, a 'wild card' last year, is now second in the order of merit and back to something like his best. It will be a surprise if he doesn't play himself into the side. The same applies to Jose-Maria Olazabal.
As for Thomas Bjorn, one of Langer's backroom boys at Oakland Hills, well, he looks a banker already.
Ireland will be hoping to have a record number of four players on the team. That would be some achievement, but certainly Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell must be in with every chance. It would be difficult, too, to see the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, David Howell and Ian Poulter failing to make the starting line-up.
Of the remaining members of the 2004 side, question marks hang over Paul Casey, Thomas Levet and Miguel-Angel Jimenez. They have had a quiet 2005 so far with Casey, of whom so much was expected, suffering a severe slump in form. Should this trio fail to fight their way back into contention, there is the re-assurance that Bjorn and Olazabal will again be a major force in '06 and that a whole host of Scandinavians, England's Nick Dougherty and Bradley Dredge of Wales are also displaying the necessary qualities.
The As for the Americans picking process of picking their team has already has already begun and the fascinating
aspect of their current top ten is that only one was not a member of the side humiliated by the Europeans at Oakland Hills. The exception is Fred Couples and he isn't exactly in the first flush of youth at 45 years of age.
It's the most telling sign yet that the US Tour is still failing to produce outstanding young golfers and that Tom Lehman may have to rely on the tried and untrusted at The K-Club.
Their current top ten consists of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Chris DiMarco, Davis Love III, David Toms, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Fred Couples, Fred Funk and Stewart Cink.
That could change in '06 when all points will be doubled and tournament winners will have their chances greatly enhanced. For now, though, Woosnam is hardly losing any sleep, especially because Lehman himself, Pat Perez, Ryan Palmer, Vaughn Taylor and Zach Johnson are those
immediately behind the top ten right now. As for their supposed future stars like Sean O'Hair (20th), Charles Howell III (24th) and Hank Kuehne (33rd), they're not making much of a shape, and John Daly, the man everyone seems to want to see in Ryder Cup action, is back in 67th place.
The likely European dozen 12 months hence? How about Garcia, Bjorn, Harrington, Westwood, Donald, Clarke, Olazabal, Montgomerie, Howell, Poulter, McGinley and McDowell.
If you want to suggest a team, why not email charlie.mulqueen@examiner.ie
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
