Trouble for The Euro Ryder Cup Team?

March 6, 2005

Is it wistful thinking, or is European Ryder Cup Captain Ian Woosnan really going to have trouble assembling a team? This article in the Guardian reports that Justin Rose has joined the cadre of European players who now living in the US, including Clark, Casey and Donald. Rose has given up his European Tour membership.

Woosnam’s problem is that traffic across the Atlantic right now is all one-way. Rose now lives in Orlando, Florida. Poulter also has a residence there. They’re in pretty good company - Clarke, Casey and Donald already have houses in the US - and Greg Owen and Brian Davis, who got their cards at the US Tour School, have taken up residence in America. The main problem is that the European Tour cannot compete with the American tournaments for official world-ranking points. Anyone in the top 50 in the world ranking gets an automatic invitation to the major championships and the lucrative world golf championships. The best way to move up that premier league table is to play well in the US. Hence Rose’s decision to let his European Tour membership lapse.

There more food for thought in the full article.