Europe's version of the President's Cup is to be launched at Sunningdale on April 14th-16th. And the inaugural matches of what is to be called the Seve Ballesteros Trophy, will involve at least two Irish players, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington.
It will be a biennial event between two 10-men teams, with £92,000 going to each member of the winning line-up and £55,000 to the runners-up. Colin Montgomerie will be playing captain of a British and Irish line-up against the Continent of Europe, led by Ballesteros.
The leading seven players from each region in the 1999 Order of Merit will be invited to play, and an additional player will come from the 2000 Order of Merit as of April 9th. Each team will then be completed by a wild card, given that Montgomerie and Ballesteros are automatic qualifiers.
Explaining the choice of venue - this is the centenary of the Old Course being laid out at Sunningdale - the Spaniard said: "I wish to repay the British people for making Spain the host country for the 1997 Ryder Cup. I am honoured that the competition should carry my name."
There is, in fact, a strong Spanish involvement, apart from a probable four players. In promoting the event, Amen Corner, the management company owned by Ballesteros, is teaming up with Media Pro, a leading Spanish company in the selling of television rights, and with the European Tour.
"This is a very special match, not simply because it carries Seve's name, but because of the great players who will be competing," said Montgomerie. "We hope it will be on the European schedule for many years to come."
The European Tour view the match as not only a way of honouring Ballesteros, who played such a major role in the development of tournament golf on this side of the Atlantic, but of extending the team opportunities of its players.
Its launch date, a week after the US Masters, is far from ideal, but one would expect it to be run, ultimately, against the President's Cup, which is in Virginia on October 19th-22nd this year.
The schedule of matches is: Thursday - pro-am; Friday - four foursomes followed by four fourballs; Saturday - four greensomes followed by four fourballs; Sunday - 10 singles. In the greensomes format, all four competitors drive off before finishing out the hole with alternate shots.
Britain and Ireland's automatic qualifiers are: Lee Westwood, Paul Lawrie, Harrington, Clarke, Mark James, John Bickerton and Gary Orr. Montgomerie will play as captain. The Europeans are: Sergio Garcia, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jarmo Sandelin, Jean Van de Velde, Thomas Bjorn, Bernhard Langer and Alex Cejka, with Ballesteros as captain.
In the Hennessy Cognac Cup matches at Sunningdale in 1980, Britain and Ireland beat the Continent 16 1/2-13 1/2. Ballesteros, James and Langer will be survivors of that event in which Des Smyth and Eddie Polland were the Irish representatives.
