PGA Tour players support Martin

Forest of Arden, Warwickshire, 18th September - Miguel Angel Martin has received encouragement in his fight against being dropped from the Ryder Cup team from European PGA Tour committee.

The committee that includes Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance and Mark James issued a statement after a three hour meeting last night saying they did not agree with the Ryder Cup committee's decision to remove Martin from the team.

Ken Schofield, the executive director of the tour who wrote to Martin on behalf of the Ryder Cup committee emerged from the meeting after being told it should have been left for the player himself to decide whether or not he was fit.

Schofield said that the views of the PGA Tour committee would be conveyed to the Ryder Cup committee in due course.

He refused to say whether or not he had been asked to resign during the meeting.

If the Ryder Cup committee had waited, the decision would have been the same because Martin withdrew from the British Masters on Tuesday, saying his wrist was still not ready for play.

The decision by the PGA Tour committee has encouraged Martin to continue his legal fight to be compensated for his removal from the team.

"The Tour committee is with me and thinks it's a bad decision, but what can I do?" said Martin in Madrid. "They've taken my place. I want to wait until I've spoken to my lawyers before saying any more."

He has been offered nearly $6,000, a team uniform and the right to call himself a team member.

"No way will I settle for that. "No way!" Martin said.