Top 50 on trail of Tiger as stars focus on AmEx

THE AMERICANS mightn’t be much good as a team but, rest assured, they won’t be slow in coming forward when they tee it up this week in the WGC AmEx Championship at the splendid new Grove complex near Watford on Thursday.

Twenty two of the 24 Ryder Cup players will be there, the exceptions being Zach Johnson of the US and Ireland’s Paul McGinley, both of whom have slipped out of the top 50 in the world rankings.

Tiger Woods will be there to defend his title and try to win it for a fifth time.

The AmEx is being played at the relatively new Grove course. Gary Player, the South African veteran who doesn’t dish out plaudits easily, was moved to describe the Kyle Phillips design and hotel and leisure complex as “one of the finest facilities I have seen anywhere in the world”.

There, too, will be people aggrieved at not making the Ryder Cup. Lucas Glover had a very strong case for a wild-card pick in the American team while Thomas Bjorn raged when he was passed over by Ian Woosnam. After his comments, it won’t be easy for the Dane to face Darren Clarke and especially Lee Westwood when their paths cross.