US Tour: American Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman wants his behaviour at the 1999 match in Boston to become "a dead issue" by the time he leads his side at the K Club this September.

But when asked about it yet again at this week's Buick Invitational in California, Lehman insisted he never even touched the 17th green at Brookline after Justin Leonard holed his 45-foot putt.

Lehman has not been involved in the match since, but then to the surprise of many was appointed as Hal Sutton's successor for the K Club.

"I know it's going to come up and it should be a dead issue, it really should be," he said at Torrey Pines, ahead of this week's US PGA Tour event. "You know, I never even stepped foot on the green - never even stepped foot on the green, didn't lead the charge."

Lehman, who added that his wife, Melissa, "goes crazy" whenever the matter is mentioned, is concentrating now on preparations for America's attempt to avoid an unprecedented third successive defeat.

Also in San Diego this week is England's Luke Donald, who will be looking to start 2006 the way he ended 2005.

Two weeks before Christmas, Donald fired a spectacular closing round of 64 to turn a six-stroke deficit on Darren Clarke into a one-stroke victory at the Target World Challenge in California.

It earned the 28-year-old the biggest pay-day of his career, and the list of players he beat was the perfect way to end the season.

Ten more of the world's top 20 were there, led by tournament host Tiger Woods, who finished 14 shots back.

Woods is at Torrey Pines for what is his first outing of the campaign and his first since his 30th birthday.

He will, in fact, be going for his fourth victory in eight years at the event, but Donald has been runner-up on the last two stagings.