Thursday, May 29, 2008

MONTY BACKS RYDER CUP CHANGES

MONTY BACKS RYDER CUP CHANGES

Colin Montgomerie on Thursday made out a case for the Ryder Cup to be staged over four rather than three days.

The 44-year-old was speaking after a 69 in the opening round of the Wales Open at Celtic Manor's new Twenty Ten course.

The lay-out is the one on which the first cup match on Welsh soil will be staged, but a fog delay of 105 minutes at the start of this week's tournament was a reminder of the problems that Europe and America's players could face in October 2010.

Montgomerie said: "There's a river here and the temperature between rivers and land causes fog.

"There could be delays here. We risked it in Ireland and we just got away with it. We have a problem obviously here and also at Gleneagles (the 2014 venue) and we just pray that him upstairs is good to us."

Asked about switching to a four-day format as used in the Seve Trophy and Presidents Cup, the Scot commented: "I think it's almost got to that stage where two rounds a day we all seem to be rushing around, packing it in, for what reason really?

"I've been running around changing rooms in Ryder Cup and trying to get new clothes and stuff and shoes and socks after I've been soaked in the morning and having to do it again in the afternoon.

"For what reason? I think the Seve Trophy could show us a thing or two, where we have the two fourballs on Thursday and Friday (one series each day) and it would also give more opportunity for more players to play.

"To rush around to get everything in within three days...hey, it (a Thursday rather than Friday start) is an extra day of advertising, an extra day of television."

The intensity of the current format is, for many, part of the excitement and while Montgomerie agrees with that he added: "I think the days have come where to get people around twice in a day is very hard work, especially round places as vast as these are.

"So the Ryder Cup over four days I think everybody benefits."

He also pointed out how arduous it will be for fans during the week of the match.

"Good luck to the spectators, that's all I can say. To get 50,000 people up and down here will be a great effort, an art. Thank God that's not my job.

"There are a couple of things that you see that you're fearful of, a couple of single-track roads around the place where there's always going to be a head-on."


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