Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley expressed his disappointment Shane Lowry is not in France for today’s (THUR) commencing Seve Trophy in France.

With six of the leading GB & I qualifiers opting not to tee up this week at St. Nom-la-Breteche it still left Lowry one spot shy of making the Sam Torrance led team.

McGinley is present overseeing competition and last night hosted Torrance and side to dinner at the stunning Trianon Palace in Versailles.

“I played with Shane at Gleneagles and Holland I I know how much he wanted to play in the Seve Trophy,” said McGinley.

Shane Lowry competing in the recent Wales Open. (Photo – www.golffile.ie)

“I am really supportive of Shane and what he wants to do and its just a pity that his performance in the Dunhill Links (he finished third) came a week too late after the qualifying had finished.”

It’s the second occasion in the 13-year history of the Seve Trophy an Irish-born player is not present in a GB & I.

McGinley will not have his eyes on both teams but he’s set for some late night TV viewing and in particular the USA Team pairings in also this week’s Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.

“The Americans have learned a lot of the past few Presidents Cups about partnerships and want to see what partnerships catch fire at Muirfield Village, and whether Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley continue be a strong pairing as they were last year at Medinah,” he said.

GB & I’s David Lynn helped his team score an early victory when he super-glued together the first few layers of a pyramid arrangement of European Team practice balls.

The prank caught Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and Finland’s Mikko Illonen completely off guard but had Lynn, Paul Casey, Simon Khan, Jamie Donaldson and Torrance roaring with laughter.