DO you know that there are 259 days until the Ryder Cup roars into action in Rome? Why, of course you do because it’s almost impossible to ignore the tick-tocking countdown, isn’t it?
Such is the over-hyped frenzy of this transatlantic tussle in the modern era, the prolonged build-up is rammed home with all the gusto of a Victorian chimney sweep shoving a sooty-faced apprentice down the lum.
There is, of course, plenty of golf to be played before 24 players from Europe and the USA cross swords in the colosseum of the Marco Simone club at the end of September.
Will Luke Donald’s European side feature a Scottish presence? Time will tell, but in Abu Dhabi this weekend, Robert MacIntyre and Ewen Ferguson have an early opportunity to show their worth to the skipper in the team environment when they represent GB&I in the Hero Cup against the Continent of Europe. The three-day event, featuring 20 players chosen by Donald, is essentially a reinvention of the Seve Trophy and has been brought back into the schedule to aid Europe’s wider Ryder Cup preparations.
Earning a place on a Ryder Cup team is a daunting task akin to actually building Rome in a single day but, as a golfing year of opportunity and possibility swings into action, MacIntyre and Ferguson, both winners on the DP World Tour last season, have plenty to play for. “I’m in the shop window now,” said MacIntyre as he looked forward to the cut-and-thrust of the matchplay format.
With his natural, attacking instinct and the kind of fearless mentality often reserved for folk who goad sharks for a living, MacIntyre is well-suited to head-to-head combat. “It’s a dog-eat-dog mentality you have to have,” he said of the ruthless streak required to prosper in this type of golfing skirmish.
Both MacIntyre and Ferguson were Walker Cup players for GB&I in their amateur days and regulars in the Scotland team. MacIntyre’s matchplay pedigree is burnished by a victory in the Scottish Amateur Championship while Ferguson has a British Boys’ title on his cv. Now both champions on the main tour, this tartan twosome are at the vanguard of a new generation of successful Scots.
For Ferguson (right), who scored a thrilling double-whammy of titles during his rookie season on the DP World Tour in 2022, the opportunity to share the same team-room this weekend with the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton continues to be an education.
“It’s been cool for me to hang out with them and see just how hard they work,” said the 26-year-old who was set to partner England’s Richard Mansell in the opening fourballs this morning against Nicolai Hojgaard and Francesco Molinari.
“They’re not good by accident, they put so much in and this is why they are at the level they are. It was an eye-opener for me coming out on tour and seeing how hard people worked. It helps me to understand what I need to do to get to the next level.”
As part of Donald’s preparations, the Englishman has invited a number of past Ryder Cup captains to Abu Dhabi to lend a helping hand and pass on their bountiful pearls of wisdom to this year’s European team contenders. Among that number is Jose Maria Olazabal, the seven-time Ryder Cup player who captained Europe to the jaw-dropping Miracle of Medinah back in 2012.
The presence of the double Masters champion has left Ferguson cooing like a turtle dove on a first date. “He’s a Ryder Cup hero but a hero in general,” he said with a gush of reverence. “I’m a golfer but I’m a golf fan too. Who doesn’t love guys like Olazabal? Listening to his stories, there’s a passion in his voice and the way he talks is very inspiring. He makes it clear that playing for his country or his continent was the best thing he has done and that kind of passion really does drive you on.”
While every player on each team in Abu Dhabi this weekend has a Ryder Cup ambition, the sense of European unity will give way to a healthy rivalry when the gun goes.
“They [the Continent] will be the enemy,” said MacIntyre with a glint in his eye. “We’ll put the friendship to the side. This is all about business.”
