The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Ryder Cup quartet on road to qualification
European foursome set out on long road to make team for Paris 2018
Four members of Europe’s last Ryder Cup team will try to get a head start on making next year’s when the qualifying process gets under way in this week’s D+D Real Czech Masters.
Thomas Pieters, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick enjoyed contrasting results at Hazeltine, with Pieters winning more points than the other three combined thanks to four victories from his five matches.
But all four will be keen to play a part in regaining the trophy at Le Golf National in Paris next year and can make early progress with a good performance at the Albatross Golf Resort in Prague.
“I have had good results and I love the place,” said Pieters, who won his first European Tour title here in 2015 and was second in the defence of his title 12 months later to help persuade European captain Darren Clarke to give him a wild card.
“It’s still a really long road to the Ryder Cup, but as many points as you can get is always something that is on my mind.” Craig Watson will not captain Great Britain and Ireland in next week’s Walker Cup against the United States due to a serious illness in his immediate family.
In Watson’s absence, chairman of selectors Andrew Ingram will take over as acting captain of the 10-man side seeking to retain the trophy at Los Angeles Country Club from September 9-10.
Watson defeated future Masters champion Trevor Immelman to win the Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s in 1997 and played in the Walker Cup defeat at Quaker Ridge that year.
Ingram, 57, captained the victorious European Junior Ryder Cup team in Ohio in 2004 and also at Celtic Manor in 2006, where the home side retained the trophy after a 6-6 tie
Fitzpatrick’s course form is almost as impressive as that of Pieters, the 22-yearold finishing third in 2015 and fifth last year when American Paul Peterson edged out Pieters by a single shot.
“I’ve had two good years back to back, so I can hopefully go a few places better this year,” said Fitzpatrick, who has struggled to find his best form since finishing second in the Nordea Masters in June.
“I’ve not played the last two weeks, just having some time off working on my game, so hopefully that hard work is going to pay off in the next few weeks and I have a good end to the season.”
Kaymer is another player who has been far from his best for much of the season, the former world No 1 slipping to 66th in the rankings and being forced out of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA with a shoulder injury.
The two-time major winner returned to action with a tie for 31st in Denmark last week and believes the Ryder Cup qualifying battle will not start in earnest until next year’s Masters.
“My focus is not the Ryder Cup team, it’s more about trying to get somewhere in the top 15, top 10 in the Race to Dubai, that would be great, and then the Ryder Cup,” he said.
Four Scots – Stephen Gallacher, Marc Warren, Duncan Stewart and Craig Lee – are among those vying for glory in Prague, with action getting under way today.