Not a tweet until the battle is over

GOLF:ALL OF this conviviality and pleasantness simply can't go on. Colin Montgomerie, the Europe captain, and Corey Pavin, his equivalent on the US team who are defending the Ryder Cup, were singing off the same hymn sheet as a palsy-walsy act yesterday kick-started the build-up to the match here at Celtic Manor resort on the outskirts of Newport. At one point, Pavin even leaned across to rescue a stray hair from Monty's shoulder.

So much for those memories of Pavin with a camouflage hat from the “War on the Shore” at Kiawah Island back in 1991. At this rate, we could have a love-in of mutual respect; let’s hope it is all a “phoney war” before the real thing, for the Ryder Cup – of all events – needs passion.

Yesterday, Team USA – with a number of players descending the plane at Cardiff Airport wearing sunglasses despite the grey, overcast skies – flew in with the world rankings telling us that four of the team are ranked in the top-five of the latest world rankings and some bookmakers already paying out on a Europe win. Go figure that!

Anyway, the Montgomerie-Pavin love-in before the off – still four days away, with the teams getting to practice on the course today for the first time – was diplomacy personified which even extended to a joint declaration that players have been asked to refrain from social networking from the team room. No tweeting on Twitter, no messages on Facebook.

“It’s not a ban, because if somebody does it, well, how can you punish someone for it? It’s not a ban as such. I’ve just asked my team not to, and they have said, ‘okay, fine’. We’ll start tweetering or twittering on Monday, October 4th. I don’t know who tweets or who doesn’t tweet on our team. The captain doesn’t, and whoever does, has been asked not to,” said Montgomerie, who explained the “ban” had been brought in as a result of observing the “error” of English cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who tweeted on his omission from a Test squad before it was officially announced.

In effect, it is an attempt to ensure there are no stories told out of school; and to prevent the release of team information that could help the opposition.

Pavin, too, revealed he had brought up the subject with his own team – one of whom, Stewart Cink, is an avid user of Twitter – and felt that it should not be allowed during the event.

“We talked about it as a team and we thought it best not to do it. We need to focus on playing and working on preparations and getting ready to play. Tweeting or Facebooking or whatever it may be, they have the opportunity to do that next week or for the rest of their lives,” said the US captain.

With all of the players in situ at Celtic Manor yesterday, including Sweden’s Peter Hanson who was forced to withdraw prior to last week’s Vivendi Cup due to illness, and Lee Westwood who has been away from tournament play for the past six weeks due to injury, the two captains cautiously told of how “great” it was to be here.

Monty then explained why he hadn’t followed his predecessors in home matches of tricking up the course. “Yes, there is a so-called home-course advantage that can be used by a home team. On this occasion, I haven’t played around with the golf course at all. This golf course is set up in a very, very fair manner to allow the best team to win. I don’t think it right to set the course up in any other way than to what it’s been designed for. It is a very fair test of golf and something that our European Tour players will be used to in the pace of the greens.”

He added: “I’ve left the course to allow the best team to win here this week. I think sometimes you can get yourself in a muddle by thinking that this is going to favour one team, and then the wind direction changes or something happens and it favours the other. Mother Nature will keep the greens at a certain pace. This course will be the fairest test for many a year.”

If Montgomerie seemed like a Greek bearing gifts, Pavin nonetheless took him at his word. “I think what he feels he’s done, setting up the golf course fairly, in the way the European Tour sets it up, is what he thinks best (for his team). I’m glad it’s been set up fairly, because I think that’s the way the matches are meant to be played, in fairness and in great sportsmanship,” responded Pavin.

In his head, Montgomerie claimed to know who he will be playing for Friday morning’s opening fourballs and foursomes (with all 12 players set to feature) but, apart from repeating the obvious in that the Molinari brothers, Francesco and Edoardo, will likely play together and that Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell will also likely play – “the two lads from Northern Ireland are great friends and great pals and play well together” – at some point on Friday, there were no slips of the tongue.

“They know,” said Montgomerie. “They know who they are playing with, when they are playing and I think they can prepare from tomorrow onwards for that start. I have run an open campaign and sent e-mails to all of the players throughout the campaign.

It’s been very difficult to make the European team on this occasion, the hardest I believe ever. They are a great bunch, and I look forward to captaining.”

Pavin, playing a cute game, didn’t reveal any of his potential pairings. Maybe the “phoney war” will start to heat up once practice gets under way.