Paul McGinley has entrusted his all-Irish pairing of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell to get early points on the board when the Vivendi Trophy gets underway near Paris tomorrow. The Britain and Ireland skipper called upon the Ulster duo to spearhead his attack on the opening morning.
Thomas Bjorn has opted for Soren Kjeldsen and Alvaro Quiros in his first pairing and the match will feature a highly anticipated showdown between McIlroy and Quiros, two of golf’s bright young things.
With no Scots of Welsh in the side, McGinley’s remaining line-up is an all-English affair.
Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, meanwhile, today singled out Ian Poulter for criticism over his absence from the match.
Paul Casey and Martin Kaymer are injured and Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald are playing in the Tour Championship in Atlanta, but Poulter joined Lee Westwood, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia in turning down their places on teams led by Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn.
“I just feel that when you are selected for your country more of an effort might well have been made,” said Montgomerie, who is in attendance to watch potential members of his side for Celtic Manor next October.
“Ian Poulter, not having qualified for the Tour Championship and having been picked for the last Ryder Cup team (Westwood, Rose and Garcia all qualified), I felt that a little more effort might have been made to come here.
“I spoke to Miguel Angel Jimenez. He’s never missed one of these and never would miss one. Good for him and I’m the same and Paul McGinley the same and Thomas.
“I haven’t spoken to Ian at all. Please don’t make any big issue of this. I would like to focus on the players that are here and not the players that aren’t. It does give an opportunity for those who wouldn’t otherwise have played to impress not just the captains and their team-mates, but me also.
“You could have over half the (Ryder Cup) team playing here quite easily and it will be interesting to see who performs within a team environment.”
McGinley said: “I’ve always been a great team player and whenever I’ve got picked for a team I play.
“Others guys see it another way. I might not agree with it, but I respect that they have a different opinion.
“Lee is the only one who rang me and explained why he wasn’t going to play. As I say, I didn’t agree with him and I don’t agree with him, but I respect that he’s his own man and he can make his own decisions.”
Westwood said he wanted a week off to rest and recharge his batteries for the final few events in the “Race to Dubai” money list. He lies fourth behind Kaymer, Casey and McIlroy — the only one of the quartet in France.
McIlroy stated: “I’m very excited. It’s my first team event as a pro and I’m looking forward to playing under Paul. I was always going to play if I made the team.
“When you get into weeks like this it makes you realise how special team golf is. It’s a lot of fun and you want to do your best for the others as well as yourself.”
That was a far cry, of course, from McIlroy’s comments earlier in the year that the Ryder Cup was an exhibition and not high on his list of priorities.
“My mind was not on team golf then — I was concentrating on my own game,” he said.
It is not hard to identify the Continental player most excited about playing. Last year’s European number one Robert Karlsson finally returns after almost four months out with a blister behind his left retina.
“I’ve played two rounds of golf and hit balls twice I think,” said the Swede. “The rest of the time I spent with family and friends and enjoyed a life that I didn’t know I have.
“I was trusting the doctor who said my career was not in jeopardy, but you never really know. It was quite worrying and when he said I could play I was so happy.”
He partners Henrik Stenson against Chris Wood and Anthony Wall.
No event in golf has the intensity of the Ryder Cup, but Bjorn insists this is not a garden party.
“When you are a continental European there is nothing better than beating Brits!” he said with a smile.
Thursday fourballs(Europe first, all times Irish)
10.35am- Soren Kjeldsen and Alvaro Quiros v Graeme McDowelland Rory McIlroy
10.50am- Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson v Anthony Wall and Chris Wood
11.05am- Soren Hansen and Peter Hanson v Simon Dyson and Oliver Wilson
11.20am- Anders Hansen and Francesco Molinari v Robert Rock and Steve Webster
11.35am- Miguel Angel Jimenez and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano v Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty
