30 years a-growing as Smyth named Ryder Cup deputy

THE YEAR was 1976 and two young golfers had set out from far-flung places to make their fortune. They hoped to qualify for a few tournaments and move on to the next stop.

Almost 30 years later, Ian Woosnam and Des Smyth have banked millions while remaining the firmest of friends. Appointed captain of the 2006 European Ryder Cup team, Woosnam decided Smyth would be his vice-captain, along with another old pal, Peter Baker, while Sandy Lyle and DJ Russell would also be part of his official back-up team.

This was confirmed by Woosnam yesterday at the K Club, where he was joined by American counterpart Tom Lehman.

“Des has been a very good friend of mine since I first came on Tour in 1976,” the Welshman said.

“He’s going to be a very special part of my team. He’s a special guy in Ireland and, of course, he’s playing very well on the Champions Tour in America. We shared rooms in places like Nigeria back in the late ’70s and have been close ever since.

“I spoke to him once I was appointed captain and asked if he would be one of my vice-captains. He was overjoyed. He’s played in two Ryder Cup matches and even though he has not been on the European Tour for the past few years, we all know Smythy and he’ll be giving his best out there.

“I’ve also known Peter Baker for a very long time. He’s a close friend and also very popular with all of the players. Sandy Lyle and DJ Russell will be there to advise. I want a very close-knit team and they are the four guys I feel will do the best job for me.”

Smyth, in New York for this week’s Commerce Bank Championship, knew of his appointment for “two or three months”.

He made no effort to conceal his delight at the honour, saying: “I would have volunteered for a role had this not come up.”

He continued: “When he told me he wanted me to be on his team, I was absolutely thrilled. I was over the moon then and right now I’m really excited about what lies ahead.”

Smyth played in the Ryder Cup in 1979 and 1981, and while Woosnam didn’t make his Ryder Cup debut until 1983, he was a fixture until Valderrama in 1997.

Smyth, 52, holds two titles on the US Champions Tour and stressed the importance of the Ryder Cup to Ireland.

“It’s the biggest thing ever to happen our country,” he said. “Bigger even than the Special Olympics, because I think it will be beamed into a lot more countries.

“It’s a great thrill to be so involved and I’m sure the team Woosie has surrounded himself with can handle what’s involved.”

It was as a member of Sam Torrance’s support team in 2002 that Woosnam realised “how much goes on in the background” and expects to be contemplating his foursomes and fourball pairings from the time the qualifying process begins in early September.

“I’ll be asking my vice-captains to write down who they think should be paired together and who shouldn’t be,” he said.

With Pádraig Harrington winning twice in the US already this season and others going close, the captain is encouraged.

“It was great to see Pádraig come back to form, but a lot will depend on what schedules the players have next year,” he noted.

“That’s going to be a bit of a problem, with so many guys playing in America. The two captains’ picks are going to be very important.

“Hopefully, the guys are going to make the right decision. If they desperately want to play in the Ryder Cup, they are going to make the right decision. Would I hold it against any player who didn’t play a lot in Europe? I’d prefer not to answer that question. It depends on how badly they want it.

“They have got to accept their fate if they don’t support the European Tour.”

Lehman expressed his delight at the Ryder Cup course: “I almost didn’t recognise it. The last time I was here was 1996 and it has matured beautifully. It’s improved significantly and I love it. Being in Ireland will make it a special Ryder Cup occasion. I love this country, there’s a lot of history between us, shared values and shared people.”

Lehman laughed at the suggestion that the US will be underdogs in 2006 (“I have a difficult time calling someone like Tiger Woods an underdog”) but claimed the small number of young professionals emerging from their ranks was due to “the number of international players on our tour - the number is like 78 or 79”.

Perhaps, but apart from Woods, 29, there isn’t a twenty-something making any impression on the US Tour. Would Lehman pair Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods again at the K Club, as Hal Sutton did to disastrous effect at Oakland Hills last September?

“That pairing should have worked. I would never say never about anything but I would probably have those guys come to me and say ‘we want a second chance’ before I did that.”