After nine of Europe’s top golfers ignored the event a call will made at this weeks Players Committee meeting in Portugal to make competing in the Seve Trophy compulsory.
The European Continental team last Sunday under Jose Maria Olazabal’s leadership ended a 13-year winless drought to defeat Sam Torrance’s GB & I side by two points in France.
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano wants to see it compulsory to play in Seve Triophy. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)
However the event was without eight players from last year’s victorious Ryder Cup side, including the US Open winning trio of Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose along with two European qualifies in Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer.
Also missing was Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, the European Team’s top qualifier who became golf’s $11.4m man in winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup double.
Sixteen of the 20 who competed last week in Versailles will be teeing up in this weeks Portugal Masters while three of them including Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, and along with Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley who oversaw the Seve Trophy, are on the Committee.
Fernandez-Castano was delighted to be on last week’s winning side but he was then critical of the absence of Europe’s top stars
“The Seve Trophy is fun and it’s about team spirit and it’s about match-play and that’s why I still can’t believe the better players on the European Team were not here to support the event,” said the Spaniard.
“The Seve Trophy is important for the European Tour because it’s about getting to know better how to play team golf because while this is only my first Seve Trophy, I haven’t played team golf for a very long time since my amateur days.
“It’s about getting on with your team mates and that’s what Continental Europe did well this year under a great skipper in Jose Maria.
“Also Thomas (Bjorn) has been fantastic as he gave a fantastic speech on Saturday night over dinner and it’s always great to be around these legends of the game.
“I just hope this tournament continues as the European Tour really needs this tournament and it’s because of this tournament that we are very successful in the Ryder Cup.
“It would a real shame if we had to let this tournament go. I don’t know what we can do about it but then maybe it has to be compulsory to play but something has to be done.
“We have a Tournament Players committee meeting this coming week in Portugal and probably we can discuss the matter.
“It is not on the agenda but maybe someone will mention or raise the issue in ‘other business’ as we need to do something to protect the future of the Seve Trophy.
However Thomas Bjorn, who chairs the Players Committee, is sympathetic to Europe’s PGA Tour based players.
“We have to understand what those guys playing in the States go through. They come off a massive run in America and as long as tournaments come so thick and fast it’s going to be difficult for them,” said Bjorn.
“One of the purposes of the Seve Trophy is trying to build that Ryder Cup sense in those who have not played Ryder Cup.
“So why I understand the bigger names did not play, I have sympathy for them.”
And McGinley, who had been asked to leave a committee meeting earlier this year in Abu Dhabi ahead of being chosen as 2014 Ryder Cup captain, is also reluctant to put pressure on those who didn’t compete.
“I don’t think we need to go down that road as what we really need is a sponsor,” said McGinley.
“And if we can lock in a sponsor then I would love to see the event rotate between Great Britain and Ireland and the Continent.
“The Seve Trophy is just a great learning curve for all the players and the Ryder Cup captain and for future Ryder Cup captains so they can benefit from the week just as much as I have.”
