The next big news will be the announcement of the US Captain for the 2008 Ryder Cup campaign. In the meantime while we wait for the announcement there’s a mixed bag of Ryder Cup related stories…
Sandy Lyle has thrown his hat in the ring for Captaincy of the European Team for Ryder Cup 2010 at Celtic Manor near Newport in South Wales. Lyle who is now 48, is making an early bid for this captaincy and as 5 time Ryder Cup player and recent assistant to Woosnam at the K Club he feels he should be in with a strong chance.
Colin Montgomery is also making a play for captaincy and is rumoured to have done a deal to promote Cletic Manor in the run up to the 2010 event. Montgomery is 43 and he has indicated that he is not interested in captaining the event in the US so it’s either 2010 or 2014 for him. This will no doubt be a cause of concern to the Lyle campaign for 2010…
Ian Woosnam not to be outdone has also been indicating that he would consider going forward as captain again (contrary to his initial once and once only proclaimation). This would make him a strong candidate for 2010 in his native Wales – the plot thickens!
Me thinks he doth protest too much! Colin Montgomery has been doing his best to bolster the Ryder Cup and insists the prestige of the Ryder Cup is not being tarnished by Europe’s domination of the event. Is he Joking? The viewer numbers are down, American viewers are losing interest in watching an event where there country is now ritually humiliated. This is a problem for the PGA and for the Ryder Cup as many of the sponsors will review the value of the event in the light of it’s viewer numbers. The problem needs to be addressed and the next US captain will have to dig deep and come up with a formula which at least put his superstars within striking distance on the final day in Valhalla.
Arnold Palmer Retires from Pro Golf At 77 Palmer has decided to retire from tournament golf. The golfing ledgend who was also a reknowned golf course architect, designed the course at the K Club where the 36th Ryder Cup Matches were played.
Gleneagles Hotel is to invest £18 million in a major makeover programme to prepare for hosting the Ryder Cup in 2014. The upgrade will involve the development of a spa and refurbishment of the rooms.
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