Ryder Cup captaincy should return to Ian Woosnam

Passion doesn’t necessarily win you a Ryder Cup, but it goes a long way.

America had it at Valhalla, had it in bucketfulls, embodied by the energised rookies Boo Weekley, Anthony Kim and JB Holmes.

Europe used to have exclusive rights to Ryder Cup passion - it’s what drove them to three successive victories from 2002 to 2006.

That was stripped of them at Valhalla, and now it must be restored, not on the first tee at Celtic Manor in two years time - but now.

The decision of who will succeed Nick Faldo, as captain and hopefully as a more inspired leader, will occupy the agenda when stalwarts like Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke join 13 other Tour officials at St Andrews to begin discussions over the new captain.

The sooner the better.

Three names top the list - Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Jose Maria Olazabal.

For me, the man to do it is Woosnam.

I know the days of a player captaining the side more than once are over, consigned to history after Bernard Gallagher’s victory over the States in 1995.

But Woosnam engendered a real passion in the European team at the K Club two years ago, building on the platform of unity begun by Sam Torrance at the Belfry and by the quiet authority of Bernhard Langer two years later.

He showed great leadership, inspired his rookies, leant on his elder players and utilised the huge well of sympathy for Clarke, whose wife Heather had passes away just three weeks before the match.

Clarke responded with three points from three as Ireland adopted Woosnam as one of its own.

One other factor is that Woosnam is Welsh and with the competition in his homeland, the former Masters champion and World No 1 will generate huge support in the valleys.

The Welsh will help whip up a storm of passion on the undulating fairways of Celtic Manor.

Lyle is Woosnam’s likely challenger to the crown, and Woosnam may yet withdraw himself from the race.

The amiable Scot won major championships at home and across the pond, and would bring the same degree of quiet authority Langer commanded at Oakland Hills.

If Lyle misses out again though, he will rightly consider himself to have been overlooked harshly by the Tour committee who looked favourably on the other members of Europe’s big five who transformed the Ryder Cup in the 80s and were rewarded with their shot at captaining the team - Seve Ballesteros (1997), Langer (2004), Woosnam (2006) and Faldo just last week.

Olazabal continued Europe’s renaissance in the 90s and with his two major wins coming in America and making much of his living on the PGA Tour, he would be a better choice to lead the team at Medinah in 2012.

Olazabal’s playing days may be numbered as fatigue ravages his body, but reports coming out of the team room at Valhalla in the aftermath of Europe’s defeat cast a new light on the quiet Spaniard.

As Faldo’s only assistant, it was according to rookie Oliver Wilson, Olazabal who led the passionate rallying calls in the team room.

With Montgomerie almost certain to captain the side at Gleneagles in 2014, Europe can at least be confident that passion will be restored with the next men to take the hotseat, particularly if Woosnam retakes the mantle in two years time.

Birkdale wind separates men from the boys

Watching Greg Norman roll back the years yesterday afternoon was the highlight of the opening day at Royal Birkdale.

Having set off from home at 5am, and then got drenched following Simon Dyson for four hours, getting the chance to witness a legend like Norman complete his round and then entertain the media, made it all worthwhile.

The two-time Open champion spoke of his appreciation of the course, giving the under-fire R&A a perfect ally in the battle against those who doubted the set-up of some of the par fours. Men like Sandy Lyle, a legend in his own right, who gave up halfway round.

Admittedly, Norman got the better of the conditions, with Lyle, Dyson and the rest of the morning starters playing in weather akin to the storms and gales of the third day at Muirfield six years ago.

My over-riding memory of that Saturday in 2002 was Ernie Els.

While everyone was cowering for cover and being blown off course – Tiger Woods shot a major-worst 81 – the big South African gritted his teeth and marched into the eye of the storm, producing a solid effort that effectively sealed his first Claret Jug the following day.

Typical links weather really does separate the men from the boys. The wind whips in off the course, buffets off the sand dunes and swirls around the tee boxes.

Common occurrences at an Open Championship is a player hitting a drive, watching it sail off into the deep rough, and then turning to his caddy with a shrug of the shoulders before ripping up a clump of grass and throwing it in the air.

More often than not, that wind has changed direction in a matter of seconds.

With the weather on this Friday morning in West Lancashire being similar to yesterday, if not as
severe, it is going to be another day when the men rise above the boys.

The wind is already howling, bringing with it a damp sea mist off the North Sea.

Scores will be high again today. Anything around 72/73 will be a good effort.

An Open Champion does not only have to prove he can master a championship course, but that he has the measure of the weather as well.