JUNIOR RYDER CUP MATCH

JUNIOR MATCH AT CELTIC MANOR TEES OFF
RYDER CUP WEEK

By STEVEN FRANKLIN
Press Officer, European Tour

Ryder Cup week starts on Sunday afternoon when the flags are raised at the opening ceremony for the junior version of the biennial competition, an event that offers a potential match-up between one of Britain’s brightest young golfing stars, Scotland’s Carly Booth, pictured right, and Isabelle Lendl, America’s No. 5 girl golfer and the daughter of eight-time Grand Slam tennis champion Ivan Lendl.

The 2006 Junior Ryder Cup is being held at the impressive Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, South Wales, where the teenage teams from Europe and the United States will contest a series of four-balls and mixed four-balls played over two days on the Roman Road championship course, which has hosted The Celtic Manor Wales Open on The European Tour.

Each team comprises 12 players – six boys and six girls – all of whom were under 16 years of age on January 1, 2006, and provides the prospect of an intriguing fourball involving Booth and Lendl.

Isabelle, aged 15, has undoubtedly inherited her father’s impressive hand-eye coordination and Ivan appears delighted that she is excelling in golf rather than tennis.

He said: “There were no golf courses in Czechoslovakia when I was growing up so I was never around golf, although I wish I had been as you never have to quit – just look at Gary Player. Don’t get me wrong though, I was more than happy with how my career turned out.”

Nowadays his attentions are focused on helping Isabelle make the most of her talent. “I stay away from the golf aspect as she has a coach who knows far more than me. What I do help her with is the preparation: I teach her how to be mentally tough; how to eat properly; and about the importance of concentration,” added Lendl, who is also a decent golfer himself and plays on professional mini tours in the US.

Carly, meanwhile, is able to draw upon a rich sporting heritage of her own as she aims to carve out a career in professional golf. The 14 year old’s father, Wallace, is a former wrestler who won silver at the Commonwealth Games in 1966, while her brother, Wallace Jnr, is an aspiring professional golfer who attends Augusta State University.

Carly’s own potential became public during the British Masters two years ago when, as a diminutive 11 year old she played with Sandy Lyle in the pro-am and won!

Within a few months Nick Faldo had signed her up to his Junior Series and her development duly quickened. The youngest ever club champion in Great Britain, she plays off plus-one and can carry the ball 260 yards with remarkable ease.

She was crowned this year’s Scottish Under 16 Girls’ Champion and finished as the highest placed Under 18 golfer in the British Ladies’ Open Stroke Play Championship – all at the age of 14.

The 2006 Junior Ryder Cup is preceded by an opening ceremony on Sunday September 17 and concluded by a closing ceremony at 5pm on Tuesday September 19, at which six-time Major Champion Nick Faldo will present the trophy to the winners.

Faldo’s appearance at the event is entirely appropriate given that he will Captain the European Team for The 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla, while The Celtic Manor Resort is preparing to host The 2010 Ryder Cup over its revamped Wentwood Hills course.

Ian Woosnam, who will lead Europe at The K Club next week, said: “I’d just like to wish all the talented young golfers the best of luck in the Junior Ryder Cup. It’s a great experience for them and I’m sure they will enjoy the tournament. Hopefully we can both win.”

The Junior Ryder Cup Matches, The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales
18th - 19h September 2006


The Junior Ryder Cup Matches are a biennial team match-play event between Europe and the United States and was originated to encourage friendship, the exchange of cultures and to enhance the enjoyment of golf. The Junior Ryder Cup Match is maturing into an integral and important part of the whole Ryder Cup experience.

In its relatively brief history, the Junior Ryder Cup Matches have already seen some of its young stars go on to make their mark on the golf world. The inaugural Junior Match in 1995 featured the 15 year-old Sergio Garcia leading a winning European squad and since then both teams have included several budding champions including David Gossett, Beth Bauer, David Porter, Nicolas Colsaerts, Suzann Pettersen, Ty Tryon, Casey Wittenberg, and from 2004 Belen Mozo (2006 British Ladies Open Amateur Champion & Girls Champion), Marius Thorp (2005 European Amateur Champion and 2006 Low Amateur at The Open) and Rory McIlroy (2006 European Amateur Champion).

Europe is currently leading the series 4-1

1995 Winners: Europe (Exhibition match) played in Rochester, USA
1997 Winners: United States (7-5) played at San Roque & Alcaidesa Links, Spain
1999 Winners: Europe (10.5-1.5) played at Cape Cod, USA
2002 Winners: Europe (9.5 – 2.5) played at The K Club, Ireland
2004 Winners Europe (8.5 – 3.5) played at Westfield CC, Detroit, USA

The Match is patronised and supported by the Ryder Cup Committee, European Golf Association, European Tour, PGA of Great Britain & Ireland, PGAs of Europe and the PGA of America.

MATCH FORMAT
The teams consist each of 12 players, six boys and six girls. The matches are held over two days – Monday, September 18 being a boys vs. boys and girls vs. girls four-ball match format while Tuesday, September 19 is played as a mixed four-ball format.

The event is preceded by an opening ceremony on Sunday, September 17 and concluded by a closing ceremony and prize giving with Nick Faldo at the end of play on the Tuesday.
The European Junior Ryder Cup team will then travel to Dublin to watch the 36th Ryder Cup Matches at The K Club.

TEAM SELECTION
The two teams are selected on different criteria as follows:-

The players on Team Europe are selected by the European Golf Association. The 12 players were all under 16 on 1 January 2006. Four girls and four boys have been selected according to their results in the 2006 European Young Masters at Styrian GC Murhof, Graz, Austria. The remaining four players are team captain Andy Ingram’s picks.

Team USA is picked as follows:
*The U.S. Champion of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
*The winner of the U.S. Girls Junior Championship.
*The top two boys and girls from the PGA of America's flagship junior event, Westfield Junior PGA Championship.
*The leading two boys and girls in the Junior Ryder Cup final point standings following the Westfield Junior PGA Championship.
*The final boy and girl to complete the 12-member team were chosen by the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup Captain Jack Connelly.

THE VENUE
The Junior Ryder Cup Match will be played on the superb Robert Trent Jones-designed Roman Road course at the Celtic Manor Resort, Wales.
Roman Road takes its name from the ancient East-West highway of Roman Britain crossing its fairways to the nearby Roman fortress town of Caerleon from London and Bath.
Several Roman roads, including the main route connecting the fortress of Caerleon with the town of Caerwent, cross the land where the Roman Road is situated.
The course has played host to The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open in 2005 and 2006 with Miguel Angel Jimenez and Robert Karlsson as respective champions.