Ireland keen to be hosts

AT a time when the Ryder Cup committee were meeting yesterday in the eloquent San Roque clubhouse some five miles from Valderrama, which hosts next year's encounter between Europe and the United States - two letters from Minister for Sport, Bernard Allen, were winging their way to separate destinations in England with similar objectives.

Coincidentally, the intended recipients of the letters, Ken Schofield, Executive Director of the PGA European Tour, and Sandy Jones, his equivalent in the PGA, were attending the meeting in Spain to discuss the preparations for the 1997 Ryder Cup.

Allen's letters to the two power brokers in European golf were to inform them of the formation of the Ryder Cup for Ireland" committee, announced last week and chaired by Hugh Mackeown, requesting a meeting over the winter months to seek advice on how to enhance Ireland's bid to stage the event in 2005.

It was felt that Ireland's bid to play host to the Ryder Cup would actually be discussed at Valderrama this week, but yesterday's meeting - attended by committee members John O'Leary, Phil Weaver, David Huish and Brian Anderson (the two other members Neil Coles and Bernard Gallacher were absent) with a number of non voting tour executives also present - dealt entirely with next year's event and did not broach the Irish application.

Indeed, an announcement on who will host the event in 2005 is unlikely to be made for another three and a half years, although the Irish belief is that it is better to start the campaign early rather than be caught out by other potential venues in what is sure to be a long, drawn out affair.