Race for Ryder places begins at Collingtree

ALL Ireland's European Tour professionals, with the exception of the injured Christy O'Connor Jnr, will be competing for the One-2-One British Masters which marks the start of the new Ryder Cup qualifying campaign when it commences at Collingtree Park, Northampton today.

David Feherty has returned from the US specially for the occasion, and nine of the European team that triumphed at Oak Hill last September compete for a title worth £108,000. The absentees are Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Per-Ulrik Johansson.

The qualifying procedure will run for 12 months after which the leading 10 will be automatic selections for the 1997 match at Valderrama, with captain Severiano Ballesteros adding his two personal choices.

Ballesteros learnt yesterday that Colin Montgomerie is planning to put himself in the same category as Nick Faldo, i.e. he could become a doubtful automatic qualifier, because he is planning to play much more in the USA next year. The Scot, who missed last week's German Open because his father James had a heart attack, says he intends to play at least 12 times on the US Tour against six this year.

"My selection is not guaranteed," he says, "so let's hope we don't have an embarrassing situation where one of us is left out because we have not got the flexibility we need."

Montgomerie must also be concerned with the good form of Ian Woosnam. The Welshman is on the rampage after securing his fourth win of the year in the Volvo German Open, and has a lead of more, than £51,000 in the Volvo Rankings. The Welshman says he is playing his best golf since 1991, thanks to coach Bill Ferguson, who also tends Montgomerie's swing, and his freedom from back pain for the first time in three years.

"I don't do any exercise on it now," said Woosnam, "or do anything that would strain it like lifting a suitcase."

Montgomerie, who is eager to equal the record of Peter Oosterhuis and be European number one for four years in succession, is planning to add another tournament to his schedule possibly the German Masters to make up for the one he missed last week. "After failing to achieve my majors ambition this season, I don't want to give up my European top place," he said.

The task of points gathering this week has been complicated by the blight which has afflicted the Collingtree greens in recent weeks. "The Irish should feel at home here," said one wag, because of all the green dye on the course. Officials have apologised to the players saying "the greens are suffering from annual meadow grass decline".

The statement added "clippings from the mowers are not being boxed and liquid colouring has been applied to improve the visual appearance." Philip Walton said after his pro-am outing: "They run true and are not as bad as they look." But they exasperated Ballesteros, who has called for Tour officials to concentrate on consistency and try to produce firm, fast greens, tougher courses with good quality rough and bunkers.

"This week the tees are in very good condition," he said cryptically. The Spaniard singled out the Druid's Glen course on which the Irish Open was played this year, as his ideal, although the rough around the greens was in his view too severe. "If we had that sort of course every week I would be very happy because the best players would come to the top," he said. Walton agreed, saying: "No Ryder Cup qualifying event should be a putting contest, and I go along with what Seve said about the Irish Open."

Today the gun goes with Paul McGinley taking centre stage in a feature match with defending champion Sam Torrance and New Zealander Michael Campbell. Ronan Rafferty, Feherty, Darren Clarke and Walton also have afternoon starts, as do the young trio to Francis Howley, Raymond Burns and David Higgins. Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy and Padraig Harrington, who has his coach Howard Bennett on hand for this important first Ryder date get earlier use of the greeny, grainy, greens.