McGinley wants earlier date

GOLF: Paul McGinley does not want the World Cup, which starts in Mexico today, to be held two weeks before Christmas again.

Five of the world's top 10 and nine of the top 25 are missing from the $3.5 million event and McGinley, who partners Padraig Harrington, said: "I think it's a horrendous date. Guys want to have a break. The American tour starts up in Hawaii in the first week in January and I can understand guys not coming here.

"You look at somebody like Ernie (Els). He played in Sun City two weeks ago and he needs a break at some stage.

"This is a world event and it should be given precedence over invitational events. Look at how strong the field was in Japan last year because it was a great date."

The championship was held in mid-November and Els and Retief Goosen won for South Africa after a play-off which also featured Tiger Woods and David Duval for America, Michael Campbell and David Smail for New Zealand and Danes Thomas Bjorn and Soren Hansen.

Missing this week are Woods, Els and Goosen, Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Price, Bernhard Langer, Robert Allenby and Darren Clarke.

Spain and Zimbabwe are not even taking part as a result of the withdrawals.

Harrington and McGinley have been partners every year since they won in America in 1997 and Harrington, conqueror of Woods on Sunday in one of the invitational events McGinley is referring to, said: "This needs a date that is going to attract."

Next year the event returns to Kiawah Island in South Carolina, the scene of McGinley and Harrington's victory five years ago as well as the 1991 Ryder Cup.

It is in mid-November again, but it falls between the US Tour's Tour Championship and the Presidents Cup match between America and the International side (Rest of the World minus Europe) in South Africa. It could suffer again because of that.

McGinley is competing with new irons and possibly a new driver as well this week, but it is for a putt that his season is remembered.

That, of course, was the 10-footer to give Europe victory in the Ryder Cup at The Belfry in September.

"Last week I was at a dinner and Doug Sanders was the guest of honour. He said to me 'All of my life I've been remembered for missing a putt and you're going to be remembered for holing a putt'."

In the 1970 Open at St Andrews Sanders missed a three-foot putt to win and the following day lost to Jack Nicklaus in a play-off.

Meanwhile, Justin Rose has a personal reason to do well this weekend - this is his last chance to make his brother's start-of-season prediction come true.

"He kept telling me at the beginning of the year that I was going to win five tournaments - and he said the fifth one was going to be a really big one," said Rose.

The 22-year-old entered 2002 still searching for his first professional success, but when he won twice in South Africa, once in Japan and then claimed the British Masters at the start of June the prophecy looked to have every chance of becoming reality.

However, the second half of the year has not matched the first and there was, of course, the death of his father Ken in September after a long battle with leukaemia.

But with Paul Casey a late replacement for Nick Faldo as his partner this week, Rose, making his World Cup debut, now tries again for that fifth win.

It is the second year in a row that Casey (25) has been called in off the subs' bench. Last November Warren Bennett could not play in Japan because of injury and Casey partnered Ian Poulter to fifth place.

It was Casey rather than Rose who was the brightest young thing of English golf a year ago, but he has fallen outside the world's top 100 again this season.