Haeggman's not alarmed

As ever in a Ryder Cup year, the performances of players in majors tend to come under the microscope; and the poor showing by Europeans in this 104th US Open would, in normal circumstances, be a cause for some concern.

However, Joakim Haeggman, one of team captain Bernhard Langer's deputies for the match in Detroit in September, has insisted there is no cause for any alarm.

"You can't really take much notice," insisted Haeggman, who could yet play his way onto the European team. "Firstly, they can't set up the course for the Ryder Cup the way that Shinnecock Hills was set up, there's no other course in America quite like this. And, secondly, we're playing matchplay, which is just so different (from strokeplay). You have to be a little more aggressive in that format.

"Of course the Americans will try to have Oakland Hills play to their advantage. My own experience from The Belfry last time was that we tried to slow down the greens, tried to have not so deep rough around the greens and made the driving areas to suit us. I'm sure the rough (in Detroit) will be nice and deep and that they're going to have really quick and slopey greens, because that's what they like. That's what home advantage is all about in the Ryder Cup," he added.

But Haeggman was adamant that performances at Shinnecock - where Sergio Garcia was the leading European, in tied-20th position and all of 15 shots behind winner Retief Goosen - were irrelevant.

"This is just so far away from the golf that we normally play," said Haeggman. "I think there was just a lot of inexperience (from Europeans) and a lack of being able to play a course like this . . . even Royal Birkdale is a nice afternoon walk compared to Shinnecock."

From a personal standpoint, Haeggman - one of just seven Europeans to make the cut at the US Open - is focused on making the Ryder Cup team as a player.

"My goal at the moment is to make the team," he says, "(because) I've played so well since the start of the season. I'm looking forward to going home, to regroove, and to coming back out for The K Club, Loch Lomond and the British Open."

Meanwhile Padraig Harrington, whose tied-31st place finish at Shinnecock Hills earned him $41,759, sided with Haeggman in believing the poor showing by Europeans won't matter come September.

"We're not familiar with courses like this, we play stadium courses for the most part, with the exception of the (British) Open and the Irish Open last year and this. Europeans are not conditioned for this type of golf. We'll be the underdogs as usual in the Ryder Cup but, hopefully, we'll rise to the occasion. It's a long way away yet."

He added: "I'm not going to look into anyone else's game, I'll concentrate on my own. When it comes to an individual tournament like the US Open, it's not Europe versus the United States, no matter how you look at it. It's 156 individuals teeing it up against each other."

Harrington's next appearance will be in next week's Smurfit European Open. Before then, he intends to spend a couple of days with his coach Bob Torrance at Largs in Scotland working on his swing.