On the tee at Gleneagles
Article posted: 21 August 2012
It’s a different golf course to the one it has been the last time I was here
Darren Clarke was selected by José María Olazábal as one of his Ryder Cup vice-captains last week and the pair will play alongside each other for the first two rounds of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Johan Edfors joins Clarke and Olazábal, with the trio teeing off at 12.55pm on Thursday and 8.05am on Friday.
"It’s nice to be back again," said Clarke, who last played the event in 2008.
"They’ve spent an awful lot of money on the golf course, making some changes to improve it. It’s a different golf course to the one it has been the last time I was here."
Clarke was asked what it meant to be selected as one of the Ryder Cup vice-captains.
"It’s a huge honour for me to be doing it," he said. "I would obviously prefer to be playing but I haven’t been playing well enough. But I’ll go there and try and help in whatever way I possibly can.
Simon Dyson has been paired with Francesco Molinari and Paul Lawrie at 13.15 and 8.25.
Richard Finch, competing for the first time since the Thailand Open, is in action at 8.55 and 13.45. The two-time European Tour winner said he is looking forward to playing four successive tournaments.
"The heart of the European Tour season hasn't so far gone to plan," Finch said. "The golf I have played hasn't always been that bad but the results haven't been that good.
Fredrik Andersson Hed (12.55 and 7.45), Matt Baldwin (13.55 and 9.05), Gregory Bourdy (7.35 and 12.25), Danny Denison (12.35 and 7.35), David Howell (14.05 and 8.55), Scott Pinckney (13.35 and 8.25), Romain Wattel (9.15 14.25) and Chris Wood (13.05 and 7.55) are also in action in Scotland.
The PGA Centenary Course – venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup – has undergone a series of enhancements under the guidance of the layout’s original designer, Jack Nicklaus.
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