Olly slams ‘disrespectful’ absentees

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  • September 20, 2011

Jose Maria Olazabal has blasted the big-name players who opted not to take part in the Vivendi Seve Trophy last week.

Jose Maria Olazabal has blasted the big-name players who opted not to take part in the Vivendi Seve Trophy last week.

This after seeing Paul McGinley’s Great Britain and Ireland team secure a solid three-point win, their sixth in a row, over Jean Van der Velde’s Continental Europe in France on Sunday.

Olazabal, the current Ryder Cup skipper, realised that the event clashed with the FedEx Cup play-offs, but said he was unhappy that major winners like Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell, who were not involved in the American event, had not made themselves available for the Seve Trophy.

Olazabal, a fellow Spaniard and close friend of the late Ballesteros, said the decision by the absentees to give the Seve Trophy a miss was disrespectful to his memory in the light of everything he had done for the European Tour, and then disclosed that the tournament would be moved to a different time slot in the future to ensure players had no excuse for missing it.
“In two years’ time we are hoping this event moves to the same week as the Presidents Cup (between the USA and a Rest of the World team that excludes all European Ryder Cup players) and which follows the FedEx Cup, and if that is the case, there will be no excuse not to be present,” Olazabal said.
“We all know how instrumental Seve was in the growth of the European Tour. I know the younger generation did not have the chance to play when Seve was around but we are here playing on the European Tour in many ways because of Seve …
“Seve was instrumental in turning things around on the European Tour for the better and the younger players now on the European Tour need to remember that.
“They should make a little extra effort and make this event what it deserves to be.”

Olazabal, the current Ryder Cup skipper, realised that the event clashed with the FedEx Cup play-offs, bu the was unhappy that players like Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell, who were not involved in the American event, had not made themselves available for the Seve Trophy.

Olazabal, a fellow Spaniard and close friend of the late Ballesteros, said the decision by the absentees to give the Seve Trophy a miss was disrespectful to his memory in the light of everything he did for the European Tour, and then disclosed that the tournament would be moved to a different time slot in the future to ensure players had no excuses for missing the event.
“In two years’ time we are hoping this event moves to the same week as the Presidents Cup after the end of the FedEx Cup, and if that is the case, there will be no excuse not to be present,” Olazabal said.
“We all know how instrumental Seve was in the growth of the European Tour. I know the younger generation did not have the chance to play when Seve was around but we are here playing on the European Tour in many ways because of Seve …
“Seve was instrumental in turning things around on the European Tour for the better and the younger players now on the European Tour need to remember that.
“They should make a little extra effort and make this event what it deserves to be.”

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