European Tour Insider: Spotlight on Vivendi Trophy

text size

Franklin/Getty Images

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy will get his first taste of national competition as a pro this week at the Vivendi Trophy.

There is a change of pace on the European Tour this week. The Race to Dubai takes a back seat. Stroke play is put to one side, and match play is the order of the day as two teams battle it out near Paris for the Vivendi Trophy.

Colin Montgomerie suggested Thomas Bjorn and Paul McGinley as the two captains as Continental Europe takes on Great Britain & Ireland in what is a sponsored version of the Seve Trophy.

MORE INSIDERS

The TOUR Insider
Champions Tour Insider
The Fantasy Insider

Severiano Ballesteros wanted to replicate the spirit of the Ryder Cup in a bi-annual competition, which would also prove a good grounding for the Europe vs. United States duel.

Monty wants to see how his potential players and vice-captains handle a team environment.

Some are old hands. The likes of Henrik Stenson and Miguel Angel Jimenez are joined by newcomers to this kind of format as professionals -- for instance, Chris Wood -- third at the Open Championship -- and Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy's reactions undoubtedly will be scrutinized after his now infamous comment about the Ryder Cup being an "exhibition." He has explained those comments more than adequately, but they will still follow him until he plays at Celtic Manor next Autumn.

BIG BOBBY'S BACK

The Vivendi Trophy will see the return to action of Europe's No. 1 Robert Karlsson.

Last year's Order of Merit winner has been sidelined since May with an eye problem. A blister on the retina has affected his depth perception, so he couldn't always strike the ball properly, and he also had a problem with balance.

Yet he has been practicing well for the best part of two weeks. We know because Soren Hansen's son says so. Casper goes to the same school as Karlsson's son Ceasar.

European Tour Podcast

Robert Lee and John Hawksworth recap the Austrian Open and Rafael Cabrera-Bello's final-round 60, then look ahead to this week's Vivendi Trophy. Click to listen

DANISH ON THE MENU

Hansen thinks the team talks at St. Nom La Breteche will be in Danish. After all, fellow Dane Thomas Bjorn captains the European team, and further countrymen Soren Kjeldsen and Anders Hansen are in the 10-man team.

The three Swedes and three Spaniards might have something to say about that plan, however, and it would leave Italy's Francesco Molinari totally in the dark.

Sadly, for an event near Paris, there will be very little French spoken. Thomas Levet was squeezed out by Anders Hansen's good performance in Cologne. While Levet recognizes he has simply not done enough to meet the qualifying criteria, he is saddened that there are no Frenchmen on the team.

The previous Seve Trophy was held in Ireland without any Irishmen, and attendances suffered, with the local population preferring the attractions of a nearby ploughing competition.

EAST TO ESTONIA

There is a rival competition this week as an OMEGA World Cup qualifier takes place in Estonia.

Scotland -- through Montgomerie and Marc Warren -- won the main event at Mission Hills just two years ago, but such are the rules of the competition that the Scots have to qualify this time.

Alastair Forsyth and David Drysdale combine to take on the likes of another former champion in Wales, and several nations with lesser golfing pedigrees: Morocco, Algeria, Croatia, Israel and Serbia, for instance.

Two Canadians Graham Delaet and Stuart Anderson will also try to win a place in China in November.

SCINTILLATING SIXTY

Whatever the standard and thrills of the golf on offer in France or the Baltic States, it surely cannot compare to the astonishing events of last Sunday outside of Vienna.

The 25-year-old Spaniard, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, won his first Tour title, coming from eight shots adrift with a closing 60 at the Austrian Open. He had a putt for the Tour's first 59, but the eagle effort didn't drop. He had to be content with a modest eleven birdies.

"It's a dream come true" he said "I grew up watching Ballesteros and (Jose Maria) Olazabal, seeing them win, and I was hoping one day I could play with them, and to be able to play as good as them."

BEATEN BARHAM

You had to feel sorry for England's Benn Barham in Austria. He led after each of the first three days. He held off all the closer challengers, but he hadn't really conceived of losing out to such an incredible late charge.

"I actually thought that Soren Hansen, being the type of player he is, if I stayed ahead of him, then I was going to be fine." he said "You can never underestimate anybody, but to shoot 60 on the last day, to be beaten by one is hard to take to be honest."

BEDSTEAD AND BLUNDER

It will be no consolation that other players are considerably worse off.

Do you remember John Morgan? In 2002, he became only the second player to win full privileges to both the PGA TOUR and European Tour in his rookie season.

He has had a hugely troubled time battling epilepsy but has been back on Tour this season after a long gap. He's struggling to maintain his playing rights and, realistically, was looking to the Madrid Masters next month as his last chance.

And yet that chance might have gone: He thought he'd simply stubbed his toe when catching the bedpost at his hotel. However, he had to retire after 10 holes of day two of the Austrian Open, because he'd actually fractured the digit.

"They just pulled it straight back into position." he said "I had all the physios holding me down. I said I'd punch them if it hurt."

He got off lightly compared to Oliver Suhr, though. The Dane was leading an initial phase of qualifying school to decide who gets a Tour card for next season.

For some reason, he decided to go down a water slide at a local leisure center. Only there was no water in the pool, and Suhr broke both legs.

Everyone on Tour wishes him well, and the four Danes at the Vivendi Trophy will surely have their countryman in their thoughts.