The
Ryder Cup
in association with Genuity International |
| | | PGA
of America want Ryder Cup played The
PGA of America, despite grumblings from some U.S. players reluctant about this
month's Ryder Cup following Tuesday's terror attacks, said it hopes the competition
against Europe will go forward as scheduled. David
Duval, Mark Calcavecchia and Stewart Cink -- three of the 12-man U.S. side set
to compete in the matches September 28-30 at The Belfry -- have expressed misgivings
about travelling to England for what has become one of golf's greatest events. Jim
Awtrey, CEO of the PGA of America, which administers the competition from the
U.S. side, said in a statement from his Florida offices he hoped the Cup would
be held as planned but that a final decision would take days to formulate. "Like
the rest of America, we are deeply mourning the tragic loss of life and the series
of events which will change the way we live," Awtrey said. "These
changes also have an impact on the upcoming Ryder Cup matches which are to be
played in England. We continue to have discussions with U.S. captain Curtis Strange
and have communicated to a number of players that the safety of the team and their
families is of utmost importance. "It
is our desire for the Ryder Cup matches to go forward. "Having
said that, the magnitude of the matches requires many logistics which are impacted
by the events of this week. "We
are reassessing every logistic connected with the matches - a process which will
take a number of days and which will require input from our government. When our
assessment is complete, we will make further announcements as appropriate." GOING
AHEAD Players
on both sides have been torn about the pros and cons of going ahead with the competition. Several
American players voiced reservations about the Cup when asked in St Louis, where
they were gathered for the $5 million American Express Championship, which was
called off on Thursday because of the attacks. World
number two David Duval, who won the British Open in July, had been excited about
playing the Ryder Cup but was now unsure. "It
depends on the response over the next few days but it is not so much the match
that concerns me as the travel," he said. "Even
if it is on, I don't know if I'll go." Stewart
Cink was quoted as saying: "The United States do not have many national sides
in international competition, so this would be a huge target for any of America's
enemies. "If
someone wanted to strike at America, or freedom, or capitalism, the Ryder Cup
would be a tempting event to hit." Said
Calcavecchia, "I think you can forget about the Ryder Cup for a few months
at least." DIFFERENT
REACTION Other
players had a different reaction. "Do
you want the terrorists to influence your life in more ways than they already
have or do you cancel it out of respect for what has happened?" said Scott
Hoch. Britain's
Colin Montgomerie said he thought playing the match at The Belfry could send out
a positive message. "If
you cancel or postpone it, then you are allowing the terrorists to win,"
the Scot said. European
captain Mark James said on Wednesday that a postponement was not feasible and
that the matches needed to go on as scheduled, or be cancelled altogether. The
players are not paid for playing in the sport's leading team competition and,
with many of them unhappy about how its multi-million pound profits are used,
one solution could be to play it as a memorial for the victims of the attacks
with all profits going toward the disaster relief fund. Organisers
of the American Express Championship have said this year's $5 million prize fund
will be donated toward the disaster relief fund.
Genuity
International, in association with Ryder Cup, sponsors Golf Today
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