Hanson's double blow-out

Friday 5 October 2012

Peter Hanson had 35 candles to blow out on his birthday cake last night.

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He also had something of a Ryder Cup blow-out, too.

While the feelgood factor of the Medinah miracle continues to course through the golfing folk on this side of the Atlantic, Hanson has been left with mixed emotions from his experiences in Chicago.

The Swede, who opened his challenge in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with a level-par 72 at Carnoustie yesterday, was called into action just twice and failed to register a point in what was an ultimately successful campaign for the European team as a whole.Individually, though, it was one of disappointment for Hanson and the decision by Jose-Maria Olazabal, the European captain, to leave him on the sidelines for much of the weekend continues to stick in his craw.Hanson, who was also a member of the 2010 winning side in Wales, partnered Paul Lawrie in a 5 & 4 loss during the opening session of fourballs and was not drafted back into the fray until the final day singles. The 35-year-old, who had won the KLM Open in the build up to the Ryder Cup, then lost by two holes to Jason Dufner as Europe mounted a rousing late charge. "I think the Ryder Cup kind of hurt my confidence a bit," admitted Hanson, a five-time winner on the European Tour. "I went in there full of confidence after the win in Holland, played really well during practice and really wanted to get out there and play. When I didn't get to play more than 14 holes over the first couple of days, that really got to me and I was very disappointed."You're part of a team but when I got notified 20 minutes before we teed off on the Saturday [that he wasn't playing] I got very upset. I just locked myself in a dark room and stayed there for a couple of hours because I didn't want my bad feeling to affect the other guys."You kind of forget about it pretty quickly but having come into the Ryder Cup playing so well, winning and preparing myself for six weeks and then not getting to play, it hurts for a while."I haven't spoken with Olly [Olazabal] about it. We didn't have the time and I didn't want to bring it up when we were celebrating. I might not send him many Christmas cards but that's just the way it is."Nick Rodger

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Hanson's double blow-out

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