PHILIP WALTON yesterday welcomed the European Tour's decision to abandon attempts to change the selection procedure for this year's Ryder Cup match. The Malahide professional joined the chorus of approval from the players who have assembled for this week's Madeira Island Open at Santo da Serra, where French Cup candidate Jean Van de Velde revealed he was ready for legal action if Seve Ballesteros had got his way in asking for four personal choices.
Walton, who was 10th automatic qualifier in 1995, ultimately became the final hero of Oak Hill with his Cup winning victory over Jay Haas. He said: "It would have been very unfortunate for the guys who finish ninth and 10th this year if there had been changes halfway through the qualifying process.
"I think 10 automatic choices and two captain's picks is right, and I have never thought that an eight four split was right, whatever Seve says. I am glad there will be no change.
Tour officials last week agreed to conduct a ballot of the membership after Cup captain Ballesteros had made an impassioned plea at the recent Portuguese Open for two more wild cards. But they have now backtracked after lawyers advised them that they could be sued unless the entire eligible membership agreed to any changes.
That was never a likelihood of that, as Van de Velde's attitude made clear. The French number one said: "I am battling hard to be the first golfer from my country to play in the Ryder Cup, and I object very strongly to any change in the system of qualifying we started last September.
"I am eighth at the moment, and if I were to finish ninth or 10th in the table and then be ruled out I certainly would take legal action. No one is going to tell me that gaining a Ryder Cup place does not change your life to a huge extent, and is worth a lot in terms of money and contracts."
Apart from the misgivings of top players like Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal, who may not qualify automatically, the matter as far as Ballesteros is concerned is now closed. In a statement from his home in Santander, he chided the Ryder Cup committee for not taking legal advice at an earlier juncture, but has accepted the situation.
That means everyone can now concentrate on the business of earning Cup points, and here there are another 300,000 to be distributed, with the winner collecting £50,000. Walton, who says he is trying "to get my golf off the ground", can do so literally on this spectacular mountainside course some 2,800 fret above Funchal.
"I am playing well and putting well," he said. "The only thing I am not doing is scoring well."
He has the chance to put himself back in the Cup reckoning, but faces strong opposition from the inform Paul Broadhurst, who was third both in Portugal and the Canaries last week; Peter Baker; defending champion Jarmo Sandelin; compatriot Padraig Harrington and German Alexander Cejka, who is anxious to get back to winning form after a blank year following his winning treble in 1995.
Des Smyth is another who likes the well groomed, scenic lay out, as does former champion Santiago Luna and long hitting Swede Anders Forsbrand.
Raymond Burns and David Higgins are in the line up, while Francis Howley and John McHenry, who lost their Tour cards last season, get their first outings since South Africa.
Last year Smyth was among those title contenders who were severely embarrassed by the fiercely sloping 18th green.
The Drogheda professional four putted when a birdie would have won him the title. This time the 18th will not be so decisive. The two loops have been reversed, so it will be the ninth, and though the last will also be a par four, the green is much less severe.
