Woosnam has Ryder worries

Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam has worries already about who will make his team next year – even before qualifying starts.

“There must be a dozen key players playing the US tour at the moment and I’m worried about how the team may work out if the guys keep playing in America,” commented Woosnam on the eve of the Italian Open in Milan.

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, last year’s winner, is the top-ranked player in the field and even he is spending more time across the Atlantic after finishing second in the Bay Hill Invitational in Florida in March.

The European team changed its system for last year’s match to incorporate the world rankings, but only five qualify off that. Five more come off the European Order of Merit and then Woosnam has two wild cards.

“With the amount of players over there there could be too many playing for points via the world table,” added the Welshman.

What he has to hope for is that the stars shine in the big events in the States. The majors and world championships count towards the European Order of Merit as well as the American money list.