Move on Ryder selection halted

THERE will be no change in the number of wild-card selections for this year's Ryder Cup matches at Valderrama in September.

European captain, Seve Ballesteros, was last night forced to acknowledge that any move to increase on the original two picks, could be fraught with legal implications.

As I indicated yesterday, officials sought legal advice preparatory to sending out ballot forms to the European Tour players who were to vote on the issue. The fear was that if the qualifying process were changed at this stage, an unsuccessful candidate might later sue them for loss of earnings and damage to his career.

In a statement issued by the European Tour last night, Ballesteros said: "I have read very carefully the legal opinion received by the Tournament Committee and the Ryder Cup Committee, and it is a pity that the Ryder Cup selection procedure cannot be altered for the 1997 Ryder Cup matches."

The Spaniard claimed that when offered the position of captain by Ken Schofield, executive. director of the European Tour, he had sought four wild cards. In the event, the committee gave him only two.

Initially, he accepted this as a fait accompli. But in the light of a splendid start to the US season by Sweden's Jesper Parnevik and the remarkable comeback of Jose Maria Olazabal, Ballesteros became determined to seek a change to the point of arranging a players' ballot.

He also maintained that: "There are very special circumstances surrounding this year's match as some players have the type of game that is well suited to the unique examination offered by the Valderrama course.

"Quite simply, some players are better suited to some courses. For example, I always played well at Augusta National but it was different for me on US Open courses. However, I am still confident that I will have a very strong team for Valderrama in September."

The Spaniard concluded: "It is too bad that the committee did not obtain legal opinion from the very beginning when I asked for more places, and then we would have all saved a lot of time and effort."

So, Ballesteros will have the same choice that was available to his predecessor, Bernard Gallacher, who named Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam for the Oak Hill matches.