GOLF: Jose Maria Olazabal wants no more talk about whether he - or anybody else - should be added to Europe's Ryder Cup team this year.

In California for the World Matchplay at La Costa, the first big showdown of the golfing year, Olazabal dismissed the idea that cup captains Sam Torrance and Curtis Strange should be allowed to add extra players.

Because of the September 11th terrorist attacks the match at The Belfry was postponed for a year, but the decision was taken to stay with the same 12 players.

Olazabal, left out by Torrance, has been in sparkling form since, winning both in Hong Kong last November and two weeks ago on the US Tour at the Buick Invitational. On Sunday Seve Ballesteros said that to play the Americans without Olazabal was "an incredible decision. He may win the Masters, the US Open and the British Open".

But prior to his first round clash with Justin Leonard - the man he faced in a crucial and controversial Ryder Cup singles three years ago - the 36-year-old said:

"The decisions are done. I think it would be pointless to talk about it any more and I think it will be to the benefit of the team itself not to talk about this issue at all concerning anybody.

"I think that will have to be made very clear to everybody. I had my chance to be in the team, but I missed it and I have no regrets about it. There's nothing I can do about that."

It was sports promoter Mark McCormack who first aired the possibility of the two teams being expanded to incorporate this season's form players.

But Darren Clarke for one is against such a notion. "The rules are down and the format is down," he said. Clarke faces American Matt Gogel, another US Tour winner already this year, in his opening match in California.

"We had to put it back a year, but we still have to play it the way they have been playing for a long, long time. Everybody had the same opportunity to qualify during the qualifying period.

"Because he (Olazabal) is playing as well as he is now doesn't necessarily mean that he should be on the team.

"It's unfortunate. I would certainly like to see him on the team with his current form, but the qualifying system is there for a reason and that's what happened."

Clarke has already seen for himself this week how well Olazabal is playing. They played a practice round on the course where Clarke won the title two years ago.

That he lost to Olazabal yesterday should not unduly worry Clarke - before his run to the title he was beaten by his manager Andrew Chandler!

The Spaniard's cup defeat to Leonard left a nasty taste because of the green invasion, but they have played together since and spoke on friendly terms yesterday morning.