Would you dance, if I asked you to dance?... (Hero - Enrique Iglesias)
In which...Luuuuke gets an early season look at some Ryder Cup hopefuls, and golf101 speculates whose names might be on the first draft of Captain Donald's Marco Simone dance card...
This week we start with a 'shout out' to Continental Europe for a convincing 14.5 to 10.5 victory over Great Britain and Ireland in last weekend's Hero Cup.
Of course the ten players on either side were not only playing for the Trophy.
Whether on the winning side or not, this was an opportunity for all the players in Abu Dhabi to impress Luke Donald.
It was, without question, a Ryder Cup audition.
Which makes the departure from the original name of the Hero Cup, the Seve Trophy, that much harder to fathom.
Was it commercialism, marketing or some devilish legalese that required the Spanish Maestro's name be jettisoned from the re-launched competition?
I've no idea, but whatever lay behind the decision, shame.
Anyhoo...
...I watched quite a bit of the contest over the three days (well a few bits of a few of the sessions) and reckon I've got September's winning side sussed.
Consequently, I'll be emailing Mr Donald the following names as suggested picks:
Rory Mcllroy
Jon Rahm
Matt Fitzpatrick
Victor Hovland
Tommy Fleetwood
Francesco Molinari
Tyrell Hatton
Shane Lowry
Sepp Straka
Seamus Power
Victor Perez
Nicolai Hojgaard
Now I'm happy to concede that Hojgaard is a bit of a wild card.
I've selected him because he's only about 12yrs old so has 'the arrogance of youth' as one of his two super powers.
The other is that he hits the ball hard, very hard.
Like the golf ball just insulted his sister hard.
But what about that other young tyro, Guido Migliozzi, I hear you say.
Absolutely. He'd also be a great shout, and a bit of a sentimental choice too. Along with Francesco he'd be one of two Italians playing in a Ryder Cup just outside of Rome.
I just wonder if the inevitable level of passionate, latino, home support might place too heavy a burden on the young man?
Who knows, it might transport him to heroic heights?
I'm just not sure how he'll react and so Hojgaard just shades it for me.
Plus, if Nicolai starts to lose form, Luke can ditch him for his twin brother Richard and the yanks wont be any the wiser! Il concetto molto bravo...
You'll no doubt have your own thoughts on who might make that European team.
And let's face it, the 2023 contest is definitely going to herald a changing of the guard.
It's likely there'll be no 'Postman' (Poulter), Westwood, Casey, Garcia, or Rose for Europe.
No Mickelson, DeChambeau, Johnson, Koepka or Reed for America.
But never fear, this years' Ryder Cup is bound to generate some new heroes.
And heroes are all around if you look for them.
Take the crew and cast of Devonshire Park Theatre's pantomime this year.
Just like the Hero Cup, Aladdin was a real team effort, great entertainment and also finished on Sunday.
There were some great performances from a strong cast.
But the real hero?
The Stage Manager.
She's a genie-us
Comments