Captain Watson Invites 20 Potential Ryder Cuppers To Play Gleneagles: "About Four Or Five" Accept!
/Jason Sobel with Tom Watson's latest thoughts on shaping his 2014 Ryder Cup team for Gleneagles, a task that's not easy as most aren't too keen on trying to pick up local knowledge on a course the Euros know very well.
Reporting from The Greenbrier, Sobel writes about Watson's attempts to get prospective Team USA members to Gleneagles:
“Some of these players, the European players, have played that golf course in competition, played it four, five, six times, maybe 12 times,” Watson surmised. “That's just the way the Europeans pick their Ryder Cup sites. It's usually a site where they've held the European Tour tournament, so their players are more familiar with the golf course for the Ryder Cup.”
Watson knows he can’t replicate playing the course in tournament conditions, but he’s put together a little fact-finding mission next weekend. He invited “about 20” potential team members to join him there next weekend in an effort to acclimate them to the site.
So far, “about four or five” have accepted the invitation.
**Patrick Reed's a go. Not so sure about Keegan Bradley based on these quotes reported by Jason Sobel.
“Yeah, I’m going over there,” said Reed, who is currently ninth in the points standings. “I mean, I’m going over there early anyway, just get used to the time change and everything. With it being my first British Open, I’m going to play a lot of links golf and just get some rounds over there. Since I was already over there and Mr. Watson asked if I wanted to, I thought it would be a good idea.”
“I’m not definitely going, but I think so,” Bradley said. “I’m still getting the details, but it’s just Tom being very meticulous, which he’s known for. I think a few guys are going over. I don’t even know."
