Ryder Cup: Olazabal prepares for reunion

Jose Maria Olazabal’s mind is bound to go back to the 1999 Ryder Cup when the Accenture World Match Play Championship begins in California tomorrow.

Because of the withdrawals of Thomas Bjorn and Jose Coceres, Olazabal, already a winner on the US Tour this season, faces Justin Leonard in the first round of the £3.5m (€5.7m) event.

The pair met in the pivotal singles at Brookline three years ago, Leonard coming back from four down with seven holes to play for the half-point which gave the Americans overall victory.

His 45-foot birdie putt on the 17th sparked an invasion of the green which drew fierce criticism because Olazabal still had the chance to halve the hole and win the match.

The two major champions failed to retain their cup places last year, but Olazabal appears to have been reborn since his omission and has prompted Seve Ballesteros to suggest that the Ryder Cup team for the postponed match at The Belfry in September should be changed to make room for him.

Captains Sam Torrance and Curtis Strange will have the same 12 players who would have played last year but for September 11 and Ballesteros said this weekend: ‘‘It is an incredible decision. He (Olazabal) may win the Masters, the US Open and the British Open. He is playing fantastic.’’

The 36-year-old won the Hong Kong Open in November, then captured the Buick Invitational nine days ago and on Sunday added a ninth-place finish in the Nissan Open in Los Angeles.

Now he has moved down the coast to La Costa, scene of Darren Clarke’s famous victory over Tiger Woods in the match play final two years ago.

Prior to Coceres pulling out the Argentinian broke his leg playing football during the winter Clarke was set to open against 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie.

But now Clarke faces American Matt Gogel, winner of the Pebble Beach Pro-am three weeks ago, and Lawrie tackles Canadian Mike Weir.

Welshman Phil Price has the toughest first-round task of all the 13 Europeans in the 64-man line-up. He goes in against world number eight Davis Love.

Lee Westwood’s reward if he beats Japan’s Shingo Katayama could be a duel with second seed Phil Mickelson and should Paul McGinley overcome Joe Durant he might have to face reigning Open champion David Duval.

Duval is currently recovering from the stomach illness which forced him to quit after only three holes on Sunday, while Colin Montgomerie is not over-exerting himself before he meets American Scott McCarron because of the back injury which had made him doubtful for a crack at the million-dollar first prize.

Inevitably Woods is favourite, even without a win so far to his name this season.

The world number one lost in the quarter-finals to eventual winner Jeff Maggert in the inaugural championship three years ago and after his loss to Clarke in the 2000 final was among the long list of scratchings from the event last year when it was switched to Melbourne in the first week of January.

English Open title-holder Peter O’Malley, first reserve 13 months ago, was set to just miss out again until he was called up to replace Coceres.

The Australian was delighted to make the trip, but knows it could be a short one he takes on Woods.

Play starts just before 4pm tomorrow British time, with Clarke in the third match and McGinley last to tee-off at almost 8pm.