Owner Sir Terry Matthews Praises Strongest European Team Ever Assembled
(NEWPORT, Wales) – The Celtic Manor Resort and its Twenty Ten Course is set to host 12 of Europe’s finest players for the 2010 Ryder Cup, October 1-3.
The European squad, boasting eight of the world’s top 20 golfers, was finalized at the conclusion of Sunday’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. Captain Colin Montgomerie selected Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari as his three wildcard picks.
They join automatic qualifiers Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Francesco Molinari, Miguel Angel Jiménez and Peter Hanson.
“I congratulate every member of the European team on winning their place in the team,” says Celtic Manor Resort Chairman Sir Terry Matthews. “It is a considerable achievement both for those who qualified automatically and for those who were awarded wildcard selections.
“In my opinion, this is the strongest European team ever assembled and I look forward to welcoming these very talented players to the Celtic Manor Resort in four weeks’ time. I have no doubt they will meet an equally determined American side and we all anticipate a fantastic week of the finest sporting competition.”
At the start of the season Montgomerie urged his Ryder Cup contenders to play in this year’s Celtic Manor Wales Open to better acquaint themselves with the Ryder Cup layout. In Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari, he has picked players who shone in that tournament.
Donald finished third in his first appearance at Celtic Manor in June, while Molinari was just a shot further back in fourth. With tournament champion Graeme McDowell one of the highest placed team qualifiers after his sensational U.S. Open triumph, and Wales Open runner-up Rhys Davies invited to be part of the team room in a non-playing role, Montgomerie has surrounded himself with golfers who have performed well on the Twenty Ten Course. Like McDowell, Poulter and Jiménez return to Celtic Manor with fond memories as the Wales Open winners of 2003 and 2005 respectively.
In all, seven of the 12 players who will bid to regain the Ryder Cup from the Americans played in this year’s Celtic Manor Wales Open and only Westwood and Poulter have yet to play the new Ryder Cup layout in competition.
“I think it’s a definite advantage for Europe to have so many on the team who know the course well,” says Celtic Manor Director of Golf Courses Jim McKenzie. “A good number of them also have the added confidence of having played very well on the Twenty Ten Course.
Although I think U.S. Captain Corey Pavin is right when he says there is nothing tricked up about this golf course, there’s no doubt the more you play the Twenty Ten the more you learn about it.”
Pavin adds his four captain’s picks to complete his team next Monday (September 7). They will join automatic qualifiers Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar.
About Celtic Manor Resort
Located less than two hours outside London, Celtic Manor Resort (www.celtic-manor.com) will host golf’s 2010 Ryder Cup and is the UK’s foremost luxury retreat. Featuring 1,400-plus acres of panoramic parkland and wooded hills, it is recognized as the “Gateway to Wales.”
A popular destination among business and leisure travelers, golf-tour operators and corporate incentive agents, five-star Celtic Manor offers myriad amenities. These include three championship golf courses (the Twenty Ten, Roman Road and Montgomerie), two lavish hotels (the majestic, 330-room Resort Hotel and historic, 70-room Manor House), five savory restaurants, two tranquil spas and state-of-the-art health clubs, a golf academy and miles of hiking trails. A convention center, exhibition hall, array of well-appointed suites, meeting rooms and large ballrooms are also available to host groups up to 1,500 for conferences, weddings and other special events.
Celtic Manor is privately owned by founder Sir Terry Matthews, the Ottawa, Canada-based telecommunications entrepreneur who was born on the Celtic Manor site when the original Manor House was a maternity hospital.
Getting There: Celtic Manor is 45 minutes from Bristol International Airport (BRS) and Cardiff International Airport (CWL). Daily, non-stop flights are available from Newark, New Jersey (EWR) to Bristol on Continental. Daily, one-stop flights are available from New York to Cardiff on KLM via Amsterdam; and from New York, Chicago, Boston and Orlando on Aer Lingus via Dublin. London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is a two-hour shuttle drive, with rail service from Paddington Station (London) to Newport, Wales also available.
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David Wood
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