Luke Donald’s appointment as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain was a swift one – but plenty of unanswered questions remain.
Following the departure of Henrik Stenson, who was relieved of his duties after joining the LIV Tour, the panel have gone back and selected Luke as the best option.
He has had a good Ryder Cup career and has been world number one, so he has all the credentials to be the captain.
The good thing is he has come in and kept continuity, with Thomas Bjorn and Edouardo Molinari staying on.
I think that was a must, to make sure the backroom staff are all still there and there’s no upheaval.
It will be interesting to see what mark he sets, as regards to the qualifying process which is coming out soon.
The captain has got to pick how he wants to process to run, and what the criteria will be.
We will see what Luke’s take is on it, especially with the boys at LIV still expressing interest and thinking they can still play.
The panel and Luke are going to have to figure out how to work this process with that spanner in the works.
I’m sure there will be a lot of stories unfolding in the coming months as to how he’s going to set his mark on it.
Nobody really knows. There have been court battles about whether guys can play and whether they will get fined.
We don’t know how it’s going to work. It’s uncharted territory.
Normally the process would run for a year, it was four off the world rankings and four from the order of merit, while some were five and five with two picks.
I think this is down to the captain, so what is going to happen now?
If these guys on the LIV Tour say they still want to qualify, but can only play in the majors, they might not meet their designated minimum number of events to still be a member of our tour.
If you are not a member, you can’t play. There are a lot of things up in the air just now.
Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood have been very vocal in saying they still want to play in the Ryder Cup, so it will be interesting to see what route Luke and the Tour go down.
In terms of the preparation for the tournament, I don’t think that will be affected.
That has not really started yet. It doesn’t really start in earnest until the points start.
We still have a full year so I don’t think the late appointment is going to make any difference at all.
We still have the same vice-captains, and there are still a couple to pick.
You would maybe think Paul Lawrie would have a good chance of being one of them, after just narrowly missing out on the captaincy himself.
It will be interesting to see in the coming weeks.
Renaissance will flourish from Scottish Open longevity
I’m delighted with the news the Genesis Scottish Open will continue to be held at Renaissance until 2026.
Jerry Sarvadi and his family are committed to making changes. They are always upgrading the place and it’s getting better year on year.
I always think venues will improve when they know it’s going to be there for the next five years.
They know they have got it now, so they can set their stall out to making it better every year.
I know the Sarvadi family very well and Genesis are a great sponsor.
I think having a bit of stability is brilliant for the Scottish Open. We know where it’s going and we can just focus on getting the best field there, and maintaining the same standards we had this year.
I thought it was up a level with Genesis coming in.
It was good to see we still have the strategic alliance with the DP World Tour and PGA Tour which is only going to grow year-on-year as well.
The fact the last two winners of the Open Championship – Cameron Smith and Collin Morikawa – have played in the Scottish Open the week before bodes well for the tournament.
When people look at that, it shows it has certainly not hindered them.
The more times that happens it seems to help the field. The field this year was probably as good as we have seen.
If we can emulate that next year, the fans are going to get a proper spectacle again.
It’s tough in Scotland though, when we have five big weeks. For such a small country to have five unbelievable events is tough for spectators.
With the Open being down in Liverpool next year, there is a chance we may see bigger crowds.
Scots aiming to make mark at AIG Women’s Open
There is plenty of Scottish interest at the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield this weekend.
Last weekend’s Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links set the scene for the tournament.
The course looked fantastic and Japan’s Ayaka Furue was a worthy winner after shooting a 62 in the last round, which is certainly the way to do it.
Michele Thomson and Gemma Dryburgh are in the field, while I’m pleased for Louise Duncan who has had a great year, and has just turned professional.
She is no stranger to the British Open, having done so well in finishing tied 10th at Carnoustie last year.
She is playing with Catriona Matthew who has the fantastic honour of hitting the first shot at Muirfield.
It’s five minutes down the road for her, and she is a Muirfield member. With everything she has done in the game it’s a great accolade to have, and it couldn’t have been bestowed on a nicer person.
Conversation