It is 13 years since Celtic Manor hosted the most dramatic Ryder Cup but three members of the golf team at the South Wales resort will be back at the heart of the action when this year’s match tees off in Rome on Friday.
As we anxiously await Captain Luke Donald’s opening pairings, two Celtic Manor golf managers have already answered a call from the European delegation to be part of the team looking after the players at Marco Simone Golf Club.
Head of Golf and Retail, Brian Duncan, and Assistant Golf Manager, Warren Carr, are in Italy to bring their experience from staging the Ryder Cup and the annual Wales Open on the European Tour to assist the clubhouse operations.
And a third member of the team – Golf Services Associate Steve Morris – has successfully applied to be one of the volunteer marshals on the driving range where the European and American players will warm up. Three days of official practice have commenced before the eagerly anticipated match drama unfolds from Friday 29th September to Sunday 1st October.
Brian, who has worked at Celtic Manor for 17 years, cannot wait to immerse himself once more in one of sport’s most captivating occasions.
He said: “Anyone can buy a ticket to go and watch the Ryder Cup but to be involved and work with the European Tour and get close to the players during the week is a rare opportunity and a real privilege.
“Working on the Ryder Cup here in 2010 is still the highlight of my career and I was absolutely thrilled to be asked to assist the team in Rome. We’ll be helping out with the locker room and surrounding area, but we are ready to do anything to ensure the players have everything they need to make their lives easier over the week.”
With temperatures expected to touch 30 degrees, the weather will be slightly different to the conditions at Celtic Manor when the heavy rain saw the Ryder Cup pushed into an extra fourth day for the first time. But the result could be every bit as close as the unforgettable victory for Europe by a single point in 2010.
“It looks like Europe and the USA are going into the match as two evenly matched teams,” added Brian. “Europe have the home advantage and their form looked good at Wentworth last week, but the Americans are also strong and have the confidence from winning so easily two years ago, so it should be a really good match.
“If we get a finish anything like we had at Celtic Manor, it will be the perfect way to end what I’m sure is going to be an amazing week.”
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