There’s just no escaping the Ryder Cup … even when the cup that’s being contested is not even called the Ryder Cup.
This week’s EurAsia Cup in Kuala Lumpur, a biennial encounter between some of the leading campaigners of the European Tour and the Asian Tour, may not have the same prestige, pomp and pull of that famous little gold chalice but when it comes to weighing up potential Ryder Cup players of the future it will serve a valuable purpose.
Darren Clarke, the captain of Team Europe for September’s Ryder Cup clash with the USA at Hazeltine, will also skipper a European side in the far east this weekend and the Northern Irishman is well aware of the EurAsia Cup’s key role in the build up to the transatlantic tussle later in the year.
His 12-man team features emerging talents like Andy Sullivan, Matt Fitzpatrick, Danny Willett, Chris Wood, Bernd Wiesberger and Shane Lowry and all of them are hoping to mount a strong push for the Ryder Cup and make their debuts in the event as either automatic qualifiers or wild card picks.
“I think any prospective Ryder Cup Captain would relish the opportunity to put some pairings together and see how guys play together and bond,” said Clarke ahead of the joust with an Asian team which is skippered by the former Scottish Open champion, Jeev Milkha Singh. “The EurAsia Cup is going to give me a great opportunity to see a lot of potential Ryder Cup players in a matchplay and team situation.”
While his team features old hands like Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, it is the chance to see at close quarters some of the newer faces that Clarke is excited about.
“Some of the guys I will know very well and some I won’t know so well in terms of their golf games,” he added. “There might be some opportunities for me to see some potential Ryder Cup pairings and that is something that could be invaluable to me."
Lowry, the Irishman who vaulted up the world rankings with his success in last year’s WGC Bridgestone Invitational, was a regular in team contests for his country during his amateur days and the 28-year-old is looking to make the most of this weekend’s showdown.
“It gives us a great chance to show Darren what we are capable of and hopefully impress him,” said Lowry.
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