Golf: Woosnam Resorts to Stress Relief for Ryder Cup Speech Disorder

Throughout his glittering professional career Ian Woosnam’s clubs have done most of the talking, which might explain why the taciturn Welshman’s most daunting challenge in this Ryder Cup year is not that offered by Tiger Woods and his American colleagues but by his ceremonial duties as captain of the European team.

"I’ve never been too worried about how my team will shape up, but the captain’s speech - it’s been on my mind for ages," Woosnam said yesterday in Dubai, where his captaincy was announced this time last year. "The speech was written six months ago. It’s long and I have to get used to it. I practise it every day, reading it over and over again."

To help calm his nerves Woosnam has embraced a stress relief technique developed by HeartMath, which according to the company’s promotional material will help "restore the normal balance of the body and the mind" although it offers no advice on how to handle Woods. Woosnam paid due respect to the world No1 yesterday, but did not sound unduly intimidated by the 11 other members of the American team, whoever they turn out to be, and with good reason.

In decades past, the principal problem facing Europe’s captain (or Great Britain and Ireland captains, as they once were) was where to find enough good players to fill the drawsheet. This year, Woosnam’s main difficulty will be trying to accommodate the burgeoning number of world-class players from Europe - a list which now includes Henrik Stenson, the prodigious-hitting Swede who won the Qatar Masters last weekend. "He hits the ball miles and he hits it straight. You could pair him with anyone," Woosnam said.

Woosnam also had some encouraging words for the American team, particularly Chad Campbell and David Toms, both of whom have spoken in recent weeks about their desire to play in Ireland in September. "I’m glad they are keen to play. That makes up for all the other stuff we’ve been hearing from the Americans about how they now prefer the Presidents Cup."

Woosnam added pointedly: "I don’t know how anyone could say that, as the Ryder Cup is one of the biggest team competitions in the sporting world."

Meanwhile Ian Poulter appears to have finally overstepped the mark with his outlandish taste in fashion. The Englishman is expected to be fined by the European Tour’s tournament players’ committee after wearing an Arsenal football shirt during the Qatar Masters.