Thomas Levet has called for changes to Seve Trophy selection process declaring next week’s GB & I and Continental Europe showdown will be simply an ‘exhibition’ given there’s no French players competing.
Levet wants to see the Seve Trophy, first staged in 2000, brought into line with the Ryder Cup where the respective captain’s are allocated two ‘wildcard’ picks.
While Levet is delighted fellow Frenchman Jean Van de Velde has been chosen to lead the Continental side, there’s not one Frenchman competing in his side.
The make-up of Van de Velde’s 10-man team is three Spaniards, two Swedes, two Danes, two Italians and one Belgium.
Thomas Levet seconds away from breaking his leg after winning French Open.
“Without any French born players competing next week it is just going to be an exhibition match,” said Levet ahead of his second round in the KLM Open.
“We saw when the Seve Trophy was played in Ireland four years ago and about 20 people turned up. Why? Because there was not one Irish player in Faldo’s GB & I team.
“At the same time, and just a few miles away, there was the Ireland Ploughing Championship or something like that, where about 80,000 spectators turned up.
“It was a big embarrassment for the European Tour and for Seve who was there captaining the Continental team, and at a golf course he designed.
“The Tour could make the Vivendi Seve Trophy so much more exciting if the captains were given two picks, and if that was the case this year Jean could pick one of the French guys like Greg Havret, Raphael (Jacquelin), Gregory Bourdy or myself.
“Then you would be guaranteed good crowds and it would turn the event into just something more than an exhibition which is what looks likely to happen next week.”
If there were two ‘wildcard’ picks, Van de Velde would be hard pressed not to pick Levet and Raphael Jacquelin as they finished the 11th and 12th qualifiers.
Levet is returning to competition this week in Holland after breaking a small bone in his right leg after celebrating his French Open success by jumping into a water hazard at the National Club course.
It meant Levet, who turned 41 last Monday, missed out on contesting the Open Championship, WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship in Altanta.
“It was very disappointing because it was just a slight break in my leg and it’s cost me a start in two Major’s and a WGC,” he said.
“So it turned into a very expensive jump but who was to know what was then going to happen.
“It was just one of those freakiest things.”
Levet underwent an immediate operation but was forced to remain at the CERS rehab clinic in Capbreton in south-west France for nearly a month.
He did not begin walking again until early August and with the help also of the de la Boulle Racing Club of France where he could work out, Levet finally got back out onto the golf course at the end of August.
But Levet laughed there was a plus to come out of being laid-up in a hospital bed for nearly a month.
“I was like a motor vehicle as there were a couple of things wrong with me like my left heel and my arm, so I had the people at the CERS rehab to give me a full check over,” he said smiling.
“I feel like a new car again with all the little problems wrong with my body, and not having the time to get them looked at, now all fixed.
“So I’m good now for a few more thousand miles.”
However Levet pulled up his trouser leg and revealed to www.golfbytourmiss.com swelling at the bottom of his right leg.
“There’s still this bit of swelling in my leg but I am having physio treatment on it every day and it’s fine on the golf course,” said Levet.
“The only worry is my leg gets very uncomfortable when I am lying in bed but hopefully I will be able to shake that pretty soon.”
