My card will be marked if I mess up our wedding plans...
Wood wants Cup clincher
CHRIS WOOD has revealed he hopes to avoid a potential row with his bride-to-be by saying: ‘I do’ to a Ryder Cup place in East Lothian this weekend.
The Englishman is on the cusp of qualifying for Darren Clarke’s team after his victory at the BMW PGA Championship in May — and is looking for another win at this week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Match Play at Archerfield Links to secure his place.
It would also keep the peace at home, as it is his last scheduled tournament before he gets married to fiancee Bethany on August 20.
His official honeymoon is not until after the conclusion of the Race to Dubai, but Wood claims he will alter his schedule and tee it up at the Made in Denmark just five days after his wedding if he is still short of Ryder Cup qualification.
Wood, 28, who will marry on the same weekend as the Czech Masters, joked: ‘I’ve told her we might have to put it on standby just in case — so she’s probably asking for a divorce already!
‘Seriously, I’ll play the Made in Denmark the following week if I have to. But this is the last event I’m scheduled to play in the qualifying process and I’d like to tie it all up this week. Everybody’s saying I’m already there, but until it’s set in tablets of stone, I’m not.’
The 28-year-old from Bristol would probably already have cemented his Ryder Cup spot but for a neck injury that forced him to miss the Scottish Open and then withdraw from The Open.
He made his comeback at last week’s US PGA Championship but missed the cut and, although currently fourth on the European points list, is not quite guaranteed his debut at Hazeltine.
However, if the top seed can see off Australian Brett Rumford in today’s first round and go on to land the £144,000 top prize, he will have cause for a double celebration next weekend in Dublin.
‘I’m holding my stag there and there will be 10 of us, including David Horsey,’ said Wood. ‘But my dad is the one I’m most concerned about. He’s an unbelievable drinker and loves a pint of Guinness.’
Compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick is also tantalisingly close to qualifying as a Ryder Cup rookie in only his second full season as a pro. The 21-year-old from Sheffield has enjoyed a meteoric rise and sits sixth — the final qualifying place.
The third seed has been drawn to meet Ryder Cup vice captain Thomas Bjorn on the back of two victories, a second, three thirds and a top 10 in The Masters in addition to very nearly recording a first-ever European Tour 59.
Not a bad year’s work. Yet it’s a measure of the youngster’s quest for perfection that he claimed not to have had a good season so far.
Agreeing that he might be a tad hard on himself, Fitzpatrick said: ‘I think a lot of the time you get stuck in the present and don’t think about what you’ve done before.
‘I tend to be reactive to how I’ve been playing and sort of get down on myself when I miss the cut by one or miss a couple of short ones.’
Fitzpatrick, relieved to be reunited with his clubs yesterday after they went missing in transit from the US PGA, agrees with Clarke’s assessment that he has been trying too hard after four missed cuts before his 49th place at Baltusrol.
‘I’m a bit of a workaholic and I just try to be as good as I can be,’ he said. ‘But sometimes trying too hard holds you back, although it can be difficult when you want to achieve something so much.
‘But, hopefully I can get on a bit of a run now and make the final push for the Ryder Cup.’
Stephen Gallacher’s involvement at the last Ryder Cup seems a distant memory now, with the Scot just relieved to be back playing competitively after an enforced two-month break.
A recurrence of the problem that led to surgery on his left hand and wrist earlier this year saw him miss a run of top tournaments, including the BMW International Open and the French and Scottish Opens.
Gallacher, 41, has also been forced to remodel his swing in an effort to prolong his career after he was warned he risked further damage if he continued to play.
Now he feels ready to return to action as one of seven Scots in the 64-strong field, including host Lawrie, Marc Warren, Richie Ramsay, David Drysdale, Scott Jamieson and Craig Lee.
Gallacher, in the final pairing with Italian Renato Paratore today, said: “I’ve done everything by the book and, fingers crossed, I’ve been practising hard for a couple of weeks with no repercussions.
‘I’ve had this since the PGA Championship last year. But I probably went on with it because the Ryder Cup points had started and this is the first time I’ve actually played pain-free since then.’