Four-day Ryder Cup would ease burden on Gleneagles

OF all the tournaments staged in Scotland each year, the Johnnie Walker Championship is probably the most scrutinised, not least because it is played on a course that will host the Ryder Cup in just over three years’ time.

Each time the event is held we all look closely to see what changes have been made to the PGA Centenary Course and, at the same time, wonder exactly how it will measure up against previous venues for one of the biggest events in sport.

Hardly has a year gone by without some criticism, and bosses at the Gleneagles resort were probably bracing themselves once again for some of the flak that has been flying on the back of a delay caused by fog on the opening day last Thursday. The same thing could happen at the Ryder Cup. In fact, it’s a distinct possibility. Which is why, when the dates are finally announced, the event should be a four-day affair in order to build a bit of slack into the schedule.

The latest staging of the Johnnie Walker Championship was the first since last year’s Ryder Cup. So how did the Perthshire venue measure up against the Celtic Manor Resort?

In terms of location, Gleneagles wins hands down. It was a popular place in the days of the Bell’s Scottish Open and it still is, even though the field for the current event in non-Ryder Cup years isn’t exactly star-studded. And it can draw golf fans from all corners of the country. Whether from the east, west, south or north, getting to Gleneagles isn’t too difficult.

A Ryder Cup, of course, is very different to a regular European Tour event. But it will certainly help that the 2014 venue has such a rich history in terms of staging tournament golf.

The setting also beats Wales. On a nice day, there are few places better than Gleneagles and, with a bit of luck, a worldwide TV audience will enjoy some stunning scenery mixed in with some stunning golf.

As a golf course, however, it loses. Certainly in terms of some of the potential drama the Celtic Manor course provided due to many of the holes there having water hazards on them.

The 15th, in particular, springs to mind. A shortish par-4, it tempted players to pull out a driver and go for the green. It was a hole where anything could happen.

For me, the best hole on the PGA Centenary Course is the fifth, where there’s trouble left and right off the tee, and the approach is also fraught with danger. Unfortunately, it comes too early in the round to throw up any real drama.

The par-5 ninth is also a good hole. Played right off the back, it needed three decent blows to get up in the opening two rounds last week. With the tees moved forward, it became an eagle chance on Saturday and Sunday.

It’s pleasing on the eye, too. From the green looking back down the fairway, the setting would be as good as any closing hole we’ve seen at the Ryder Cup in recent years.

Can that change be made? For the tenth, a par-3, to become the first hole would not be ideal. Yet next year’s Open Championship at Royal Lytham will start with a short hole, and you won’t hear any complaints about that.

Unfortunately, a Ryder Cup doesn’t just come down to the quality of the golf holes. It’s about having space to accommodate gigantic hospitality units. Which is why it seems likely that the present course routing is unlikely to be changed in 2014.

We’re stuck with the 18th, though hopefully not as it is. It’s a slog just now, as the five-man play-off won by Thomas Bjorn on Sunday clearly illustrated. No-one could reach the green in two. It was just a case of getting as close to the green as possible and hoping for a pitch and putt.

Changes are believed to be afoot. Recommendations from Jack Nicklaus, the original course designer, are being awaited following a recent visit. It is believed they might include the creation of a water hazard short right of the green. A similar feature could also be introduced at the par-3 17th.

No matter what changes are made, the PGA Centenary Course still won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Like it or not, though, it’s where the biennial match between Europe and the United States will unfold, and we can certainly take comfort in knowing that Scotland, as the host country, will put on a great event.

Led by Scott Fenwick, the greenkeeping staff had the course in fabulous condition last week. Yes, there were some grumblings about bumpy greens. But they are definitely getting better. Come 2014, no-one at Gleneagles can be accused of not giving it their all in a bid to make it a memorable occasion.

Has any light been thrown on who the European captain will be then? As a Gleneagles winner, Bjorn, you would have thought, might now be favourite. But it seems he’s been earmarked for the 2016 encounter in America, meaning that Paul McGinley – hopefully with Paul Lawrie as one of his assistants – is the man most people fancy to get the Perthshire post.