Changes aim to blunt needle
Olazabal has taken over from Seve Ballesteros for Continental Europe against Montgomerie’s Britain and Ireland side at The Wynyard near Middlesbrough.
In the three previous matches Montgomerie and Ballesteros sat down before the final day and chose who played whom in the singles.
This time, however, the Ryder Cup format has been adopted with both captains handing in their list of all 10 players without knowing the opposition’s order.
The exception is at the top. Montgomerie will tackle Olazabal in a repeat of the 1984 British amateur final the latter won 4 and 2.
On the previous system, Montgomerie said: “Sometimes I thought it might encourage a grudge match and I didn’t want that.”
Although the contest brings together mostly Ryder Cup team-mates - eight of last year’s side in Detroit play - the 2003 match in Valencia ended in controversial fashion.
Olazabal and Harrington met in the singles and on the third green Harrington objected to the Spanish star repairing marks on the green before the referee had inspected them.
The double Masters champion, feeling his integrity was being questioned, conceded the hole and there was an extremely tense atmosphere for the rest of the game.
It ended all square and the pair then had a lengthy exchange, followed by a meeting a month later.
“We managed to clarify the situation,” commented Olazabal yesterday. “I was not a happy camper and made it clear. That was two years ago and we leave it there. I still talk to him.”
Grudge matches could still happen, but only by the luck of the draw.
The match starts on Thursday with the first of two series of fourballs and Montgomerie has revived two of Europe’s successful partnerships from Detroit.
David Howell and Paul Casey, who won a vital fourball point, take on Swedes Niclas Fasth and Peter Hanson, while Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley face French pair Thomas Levet and Jean-Francois Remesy.
The Dubliners were also partners at Druids Glen in 2002 and won four points out of five. Their only defeat was to Olazabal and Ballesteros.
Montgomerie’s approach for the opening series did not take much fathoming. The other two Englishmen, Ian Poulter and Nick Dougherty, and the two Welshmen, Stephen Dodd and Bradley Dredge, are partners. Montgomerie will play with Ireland’s Graeme McDowell.
Britain and Ireland start favourites even without three of their leading lights in Luke Donald, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, who all turned down the match.
Olazabal is without Sergio Garcia and Bernhard Langer and whereas Montgomerie’s side is comprised solely of players in the world’s top 100, the opposition includes Peter Hanson, Jean-François Remesy and Emanuele Canonica, respectively ranked 104th, 119th and 184th.
