Captains fall under spell of Ryder Cup course

Newport (Reuters) Not far from the first tee on the Twenty Ten course at Celtic Manor, across the gleaming new suspension bridge over the River Usk, stands the town of Caerleon, where legend has it King Arthur held court.

While myth and magic are very much in the air at the first Welsh venue to host the Ryder Cup, European captain Colin Montgomerie promises there will be no sleight of hand.

Montgomerie joined US captain Corey Pavin for a nine-hole stroll around the course, a year before the two teams clash for real, and the Scot was keeping no secrets as he gave his guest the guided tour.

"I don't think I'll be playing too many tricks with the golf course. The course will be laid out very similarly to how we played it.

"There is a certain home course advantage to be had, but at the same time you can tie yourself in knots trying to set up courses to suit certain people.

"I think just good golf will be the winner. At the end of the day, if you play better than your opponent, you'll beat him."

Five wins

It comes as no surprise that Montgomerie makes plotting a route to Ryder Cup glory sound as simple as a walk in the sunshine.

The 46-year-old Scot has played eight Ryder Cups, tasting team success on five of those occasions and remaining unbeaten in singles matches along the way.

"I think it's come out great," he said of the layout. "There's a lot of risk-reward holes and positions. We brought the tee slightly forward [on the 18th] to allow people to reach the tee in two shots, 540 yards as opposed to 580.

"I think it plays better as a two-shot hole than it does as a three-shot hole and there's a huge risk-reward if the ball goes to the bank and rolls down or stays on the putting surface."

Pavin is also enjoying the prospect of a good, clean fight on a course with few secrets but plenty of opportunities.

"The thing I like about it is that it's all there in front of you," the 49-year-old American said. "It's not a tricked-up course by any means."

The two captains played the new holes this week, with the light-hearted match, also featuring radio presenter Chris Evans and Welsh opera singer Bryn Terfel, finishing all square.

The friendly tone was set early on as Pavin conceded a very missable two-metre putt to Montgomerie but back here in a year's time the atmosphere will be rather different.

"Pick it up," Pavin called out to his opponent on the second green. "It won't be as friendly as this a year from now."