Golf: Gallacher complicates Cup denouement

BERNARD GALLACHER, Europe's Ryder Cup captain, arrived here yesterday to witness at first hand the denouement of a campaign that began last September. What he saw, and what he said, was quite unnerving.

First of all Gallacher made an extraordinary statement about Sam Torrance that was akin to moving, if not the goal posts, the flag stick. Then he watched Bernhard Langer suffer a recurrence of a nightmare on the greens. Gallacher announces his three wild-card selections tomorrow morning to complete the team of 12 for the match against the United States at The Belfry next month.

Torrance is at present eighth in the table but is nursing a bruised chest at his home at Wentworth. That was the result of a collision with a flower pot when he went sleepwalking at The Belfry on the eve of the Murphy's English Open last week. It prevented him from winning a penny last week and this and he could be overtaken in the pecking order by others in the Volvo German Open at the Hubbelrath course.

However, even if Torrance stays in the top nine he is, according to Gallacher, not safe. 'If Sam had been fit and playing I'm confident he would have been in an unassailable position,' Gallacher said. 'If he automatically qualifies I don't feel it is Sam's choice to be in the team. If he doesn't play between now and the Ryder Cup there is a difficult decision to be made. We want to go in with 12 fit players. I'm a bit like a football manager in deciding who is fit. Sam has complicated things.' Torrance sees no complications. 'I'll be ready to practise by the end of the week,' he said from Wentworth. Torrance, who in six previous Ryder Cup appearances has won one singles match, celebrated his 40th birthday on Tuesday, a party attended by Gallacher and David Feherty.

'I didn't go to sleep on Tuesday until Wednesday,' Feherty said. He should go to more of Torrance's parties. Feherty realises that his only chance of making the team is to win and after a 69 yesterday he is in joint second place with Peter Baker at 11 under par, two strokes behind Langer. Feherty, who met Gallacher yesterday, said: 'I asked him if he had my room number. I told him that if he needed anything he could have it and I mean anything. I like to think I have a chance of being picked.'

Baker is in ninth place in the Cup table and is therefore in a strong position to qualify on merit. 'It's an awful situation,' he said. 'Just one more day.' Should the 25-year-old Baker make it he would be the third debutant in the team. Langer, who has won the German Open four times, had the lead, lost it and regained it in a round of seven birdies, three bogeys and one double-bogey. 'It was one of the most incredible rounds in my career,' he said.

Langer, who has come through several crises caused by an attack of the putting 'yips', looked uncomfortably close to a relapse yesterday. On the par-five eighth he had a three-putt from five feet; at the par three 14th, after making four birdies in five holes, he had four putts from around 30 feet after his first putt finished within five feet of the hole. His response was to hole from 10 feet for birdies at the 16th and 17th.

Today Langer is paired with Feherty. 'He'll have a hard time,' the German said of the Northern Irishman. The Northern Irishman said of the German: 'He's the best front runner in the world. But this is my last chance.'

VOLVO GERMAN OPEN (Hubbelrath) Third-round scores (GB or Irl unless stated): 203 B Langer (Ger) 65 68 70. 205 D Feherty 67 69 69; P Baker 68 66 71. 206 R Allenby (Aus) 71 70 65; R Goosen (SA) 66 73 67. 207 B Lane 71 67 69; C Rocca (It) 68 70 69; T Johnstone (Zim) 69 69 69; G Orr 67 70 70; J Rystrom (Swe) 65 72 70; P O'Malley (Aus) 68 68 71; A Bossert (Swit) 66 69 72. 208 D Gilford 69 74 65; D Curry 70 69 69; H Clark 71 68 69; E Romero (Arg) 67 71 70; J Haeggman (Swe) 69 67 72. 209 W Westner (SA) 74 68 67; S Ballesteros (Sp) 72 69 68; C Montgomerie 68 71 70; S Lyle 69 69 71. 210 S Grappasonni (It) 72 70 68; P Broadhurst 69 70 71; C Williams 72 67 71; D Clarke 69 70 71; P Eales 70 69 71; A Sorensen (Den) 69 69 72; W Grady (Aus) 70 67 73. 211 R Chapman 68 74 69; O Karlsson (Swe) 71 71 69; G Turner (NZ) 70 71 70; D Smyth 70 71 70; F Nobilo (NZ) 69 71 71; P Price 71 69 71; J M Canizares (Sp) 67 73 71; S Ames (Trin) 67 72 72; R Rafferty 67 70 74. 212 S Field 69 74 69; G Brand Jnr 73 70 69; M Pinero (Sp) 72 71 69; S Little 74 69 69; P Mitchell 71 71 70; M James 69 71 72; P Affleck 70 70 72. 213 P Fulke (Swe) 70 73 70; A Binaghi (It) 73 69 71; P Mayo 68 74 71; E O'Connell 72 69 72; M Gates 69 71 73; M Lanner (Swe) 70 72 71; J M Carriles (Sp) 70 70 73; I Palmer (SA) 66 70 77. 214 P Hall 73 70 71; O Sellberg (Swe) 69 74 71; T Giedeon (Ger) 69 74 71; S Tinning (Den) 69 73 72; M Sunesson (Swe) 69 73 72; S Luna (Sp) 70 71 73; D Hospital (Sp) 68 72 74; M Davis 70 70 74; G Day (US) 69 71 74. 215 G Cali (It) 70 73 72; J Van de Velde (Fr) 73 70 72; R Alvarez (Arg) 72 71 72; S Struver (Ger) 69 73 73; M Clayton (Aus) 71 70 74; A Cejka (Ger) 69 68 78. 216 G Levenson (SA) 69 73 74; G J Brand 74 68 74. 217 J Hawkes (SA) 73 70 74; P Fowler (Aus) 71 71 75; K Eriksson (Swe) 70 71 76; J Rivero (Sp) 70 70 77. 218 T Levet (Fr) 69 73 76; P Lawrie 68 72 78; C Moody 70 69 79.