Aug 28, 2008 - 6:54 PM
0 shoutsBy Mark Garrod PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
PERTSHIRE, Scotland (Ticker) -- Lee Westwood has called for the greens on the 2014 Ryder Cup course at Gleneagles to be ripped up.
The former European No. 1 had just opened Thursday's first round of the Johnnie Walker Championship, the final qualifying event for next month's match against the Americans, with a 1-under-par 72.
With Frenchman Gregory Havret setting the pace with a 68 - he leads by two shots - Westwood's effort has far from ruined his hopes of victory on Sunday.
But, already safely into Nick Faldo's Ryder Cup side himself, Westwood feels sympathy for those still battling for inclusion.
"I said last year that the greens were awful and something needed to be done," Westwood said after a round which included a four-putt double-bogey at the 461-yard fifth hole. "I'm not a bad putter, and I can't remember the last time I three-putted from 18 inches.
"At the end of the week, unfortunately, the tournament could be won or lost by luck on the greens."
And so, of course, could somebody's Ryder Cup fate.
"They are the people I feel really sorry for," Westwood said. "There is a lot riding on that. They are going to be feeling pressure as it is, and you don't want to be standing over a three-footer with so much doubt in your mind not knowing if the ball is going to run straight.
"You can't bring the Ryder Cup onto greens like this. Hopefully they will rip them up and re-do them. Hopefully they won't use the same designer who had two goes at doing the seventh. I think my kids could come up with a better design than that in one afternoon."
Playing with Westwood was Mansfield's Oliver Wilson, in the 10th and last automatic qualifying spot entering the week and under threat from Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty.
Wilson, also double-bogeying the fifth, managed a 3-over 76, but so did Kaymer after losing a ball at the 320-yard 14th and taking six there.
"I must do better," Wilson said. "The greens are not overly smooth, but I felt I was a little bit unlucky - every time I hit it in the rough I got a bad lie."
