I know a lot of people are looking at the new kids on the block who have been named for the Hero Cup match in January.
But I’m more interested in the seasoned campaigners in the respective teams.
LIV Golf looms large in every golfing discussion these days which is why I’m encouraged to see names like Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood as well as Thomas Pieters, Alex Noren and Francesco Molinari in the respective teams.
I would hope that is a sign all these guys are committed to playing on the DP World Tour or PGA Tour next year and we can avoid a repeat of the Henrik Stenson saga.
The last thing we need is a re-run of his decision to defect to LIV Golf.
Henrik lost the captaincy of Europe because of it while I know within our tour a few felt as if they had been left with egg on their face from the whole affair.
I’m delighted to see some Scots in there in Ewen Ferguson and Bob MacIntyre but it also exciting to see Seamus Power rewarded for his fabulous start to the 2022-23 PGA Tour season with a call-up.
It’s early days but Power leads the FedEx Cup standing with a win and two top-five finishes in his first three events. That’s top drawer results in anyone’s book.
Austrian Sepp Straka is also included after recording his breakthrough PGA Tour win earlier this year.
Hero Cup a vital step on the road to Rome
Regular readers of this column will know how important I believe an event like this is.
We need team events to enable our captain to look at players, partnerships and performances. He can also assess how well guys get on with each other off the course for the duration of the event too.
I was sad to see the Seve Trophy go for that reason which is why I have enthusiastically welcomed this event on the calendar.
For Europe captain Luke Donald this event is effectively a dry run for the Ryder Cup in Rome in September.
He will be hoping to see a strong partnership develop and anyone who has a maximum points return from the matches will certainly put themselves firmly in his thoughts.
I’m curious to see who takes the final two spots in the match though. A space has been left in both the continental Europe team and the Great Britain and Ireland squad and it could be for a couple of reasons.
Perhaps Luke hopes to include some big names such as Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm or maybe he’s hoping to reward somebody who hits form in the last few events of 2022.
Whatever he decides to do, this event is when the countdown to Rome will officially begin and I can guarantee it is going to be one worth watching.
I hope Tiger’s foot troubles are temporary
I feared the worst when I heard Tiger Woods had withdrawn from his own event.
But thankfully his absence should only be for days rather than weeks or months.
The 15-time major winner was due to return at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this week but he has developed plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
It’s a painful one which affects your heel and arch, and as a result, makes walking difficult.
When I watch Tiger walking a golf course these days he looks as if he is treading gingerly as it is so I can understand him not wanting to take any risks.
This was supposed to be a mini-winter Tiger season and I was looking forward to seeing him play three events in a row.
But his announcement he still plans to compete in the Match next weekend and the PNC Championship from December 15 is reassuring.
The Masters is a few short months away and we all want to see Tiger in the field competing for a 16th major.
Hopefully this foot injury is nothing more than a minor bump on his road to Augusta.
Farewell Mr PGA
I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Sandy Jones on Monday.
Sandy, a former Press and Journal columnist, was Mr PGA for all of us in the game.
A man who played a huge role in helping make the Ryder Cup what it was today, Sandy was a good friend of my uncle Bernard and a larger than life character.
A big football fan, he was a Rangers bluenose at heart, and he loved nothing more than teasing me about my support of Celtic whenever he saw me but it was always in good fun.
He started his career with the Scottish PGA and even after moving to the Belfry to be chief executive of the PGA he remained a proud supporter of Scottish golf.
Golf was Sandy’s life. He lived and breathed the game and I know he was so proud to see the Ryder Cup held at Gleneagles in 2014.
He’ll be sorely missed.
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