At The Celtic Manor next week the European Ryder Cup team will have six Rookies - or debutants – as they are called. Or put another way - half the team will be newcomers to the event.
But when you list the names; Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher, Peter Hanson, Edoardo Molinari, Franceso Molinari and Rory McIlory it seems less worrying given the quality of these young European players. This time the difference is that the Rookies are proven winners in their own right with Martin Kaymer this year’s US PGA Champion winner - no less.
My Ryder Cup debut was at Oak Hill in 1995 and as a Rookie with Per Ulrik Johansson of Sweden we were surrounded by major winners in the team room. The likes of Seve Ballesteros; Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer and Sir Nick Faldo.
Being Ryder Cup “beginner” seemed more of a difference as no matter how many combined European titles Per Ulrik and I had it did not compare much to those of the “legends” in our team.
At the time Seve had won 3 Open Championships, 2 Masters and a hatful of other wins to his name. Sir Nick Faldo had won The Masters and 2 Open Championships. Ian Woosnam had also won The Masters with Bernhard Langer the holder of two Maters titles.
So for me being a Rookie really meant just that – a beginner.
This time around the European Team has four majors in total with beginner Kaymer holding one of then after his win in Whistling Straits. The other three are held by Padraig Harrington in his trophy room in Dublin.
So for me the Rookie thing is a non issue this time because they all have bags of experience and so the pairings too will have a different focus
For instance the Molinari brothers can be used together because they play so well as a pair – as they showed at World Cup last year. So even though they are beginners Monty will have few worries.
In New York Bernard Gallacher put me out with Ian Woosnam in the second day's foursomes as I knew him from various Irish Opens. Indeed we famously went to a play-off at Portmarnock in 1989 ... which he won in the end!
Per Ulrik was put out with Langer on day one in the opening foursomes and again in the afternoon Four Ball the next day. Woosie and I played on the second morning and lost to Lauren Roberts and Peter Jacobsen by just one hole.
Although we all hate losing it was just good to play a round before Sunday’s singles which was a help to the nerves. The point is you do get nervous.
I remember Tiger Woods off the tee box at the K Club in 2006 on day one. He put the ball left into the lake and had to take a drop before hitting his next shot to the first green. In 2006 Tiger was by no mean a Ryder Cup Rookie - but he still felt the pressure of this great team competition.
So Rookie or not it will be the same for both teams. All them will be just looking forward to getting it all started this time next week.
Philip Walton ©
