Ryder Cuppers on show at Mercedes-Benz
IN: News | European PGA | Mercedes-Benz Championship (2008) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 10 Sep 2008
With no PGA Tour event this week, much of the focus of world golfing attention falls on the European Tour when the Mercedes-Benz Championship is played at Gut Larchenhof in Cologne, Germany.
Four golfers who will play the Ryder Cup next week are in the field, including defending champion, Soren Hansen, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Robert Karlsson and Graeme McDowell – alongside those who narrowly missed selection – Darren Clarke, Ross Fisher and Martin Kaymer who will perhaps have their chance to prove a point.
Featured international players in the field include 2005 champion, Retief Goosen, and Stuart Appleby, the latter of whom is taking advantage of a break in FedEx Cup proceedings to play this event. Appleby is one of only two Australians remaining in the PGA Tour’s money grab which resumes on September 25th in Atlanta.
Hansen won this event by four shots last year and the Dane has been in good form in recent months. He was 10th at his last start at the Johnnie Walker and 6th at the KLM Open the previous week.
Robert Karlsson surprisingly missed the cut in his home country at the SAS Masters after what had been a stunning season up until that point. Karlsson has moved to another level in world golf in 2008 and might be better for a three week break he has just had leading into next week’s Ryder Cup.
Graeme McDowell might just head to Kentucky with another win under his belt following his win the Scottish Open. McDowell has played this golf course well in previous years and although he missed the cut at the Johnnie walker two weeks ago, he stands a very good chance this week.
Retief Goosen has missed his last two cuts in the FedEx Cup series but of course they were against much stronger fields than he will face here.
Two weeks after his controversial omission from the Ryder Cup team Darren Clarke has a chance to bounce back. A winner three weeks ago at the KLM Open, Clarke has played well in other events also and has a great chance of doing so again.
There will also be interest in the very much resurgent David Howell, who is returning from the golfing wilderness. His 7th place at the Open then a 3rd place at the Johnnie Walker is evidence enough that he is close to contending for a title.
Amongst the Australasians other than Appleby, previous winner of this event Michael Campbell is getting closer to his best of late, Richard Green plays his first event since the PGA Championship, while 2008 European Tour winners, Scott Strange and Mark Brown, also get a chance.
