Golf: Spanish mark the wild cards: Robert Green on the choices left for the Ryder Cup captain

BERNARD GALLACHER is going to make three golfers very happy men tomorrow morning when he finalises his choices for the last three spots on the 12-man European Ryder Cup team to face the United States at The Belfry next month.

The nine automatic places are at present occupied by Messrs Faldo, Montgomerie, Langer, Woosnam, Rocca, Lane, James, Torrance and Baker. The order of things could change with the conclusion of the German Open this afternoon - as it did two years ago when Paul Broadhurst, Sam Torrance and David Gilford all overtook Eamonn Darcy, who had been so sure of his place that he had taken the week off to go fishing - but for the moment we will assume everything remains the same. Who will Captain Gallacher announce as his three 'wild cards'?

You need not be the most perspicacious of sages to start by suggesting Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal. And you would not be Sandy Lyle either. At the English Open last week, Lyle said: 'In a fourball, Seve and Ollie might drag the Americans down to their level.' In other words, the Spaniards would be more like dire straits than brothers-in-arms for the European cause.

Lyle said of Ballesteros: 'He's the only man I know who can put a pretty swing on it and the ball goes sideways.' Of Olazabal, he opined that he 'hasn't got a safe shot'. Despite Lyle's scepticism, there is little doubt that Ballesteros has been told he is in the team. You can put the mortgage on it. The way he has been talking in Germany this week - 'I hope the Americans have kept the Cup clean for us' - is not the attitude of a man who feels his place is in jeopardy. And although his form of late has been worse than a habitual offender's - five missed cuts and only one top-10 finish all season - he would be an inspirational figure for his team-mates and maybe an intimidating one for his opponents.

Of course, Ballesteros is not the complete package. Olazabal is the non-optional extra, even though he has only had one top-10 finish in nine starts since May. He lies 10th on the Ryder Cup points table, some pounds 24,000 (or fifth place in Germany) out of ninth position. Last month, Gallacher said: 'I hope Olazabal would change his schedule if playing in the German Open might make a difference.' But instead of hunting birdies in Dusseldorf this week, he has been shooting quail in northern Spain.

Will Gallacher call his bluff? No way. You do not cut off your nose to spite your face (especially a nose as prominent as Ollie's).

Last Saturday, Gallacher rang Sergio Gomez, Olazabal's manager. Gallacher was in Singapore, Gomez in Colorado. Gomez will not divulge the details of their conversation, but last week he said: 'Jose Maria would definitely have played the German Open if Woosnam had not been assured of his place - there were too many top players not in the team automatically. But seeing that Woosie had made it after winning the English Open, Jose Maria decided not to play in Germany.'

Only if Gallacher were a masochist would he run up a hotel phone bill across 15 time zones just to let Olazabal know, all the way from Singapore, that he could sling it. It will be his third wild- card invitation in four Ryder Cup appearances.

The Spaniards have won nine and halved two of their 12 matches in tandem. 'Our co-ordination is fantastic,' Ballesteros said. 'It's always been like that.' Tom Watson, the American captain, said last month: 'Don't think about them making any bogeys. They won't'

Not that Gallacher's situation is an entirely enviable one. As Peter Alliss, eight times a Ryder Cup player, says: 'If he picks the Spaniards and they do well, it looks as much the obvious thing to have done as it does a masterstroke. But if they don't, all he will hear will be 'Why did he pick them? Everyone knew they were playing badly.' '

Being so reliant on two out-of-form players does not speak volumes for the quality of the options available to Gallacher, but who would he choose instead of them? Exactly. That still leaves the matter of who will be the 12th man.

Lyle is the winner of two major championships and has said that if he were captain, he would pick himself. On paper, he is the obvious choice. But Gallacher is the captain, and his mind does not consist of paper.

'I think Sandy would like to be on the team,' he said recently, 'but he hasn't made things easy by not playing.' Lyle had only played nine European tournaments in 1993 before this one, and had missed the cut on four occasions.

The other three names most often bandied about have each played in one Ryder Cup. Paul Broadhurst lies 10th in the Order of Merit and has won this year. He won both his matches in 1991 and definitely has guts, witness the way he came second in the German Open two years ago when he needed it to make the side.

Ronan Rafferty is 11th in both the Order of Merit and the points table. He is enjoying a hot streak that included victory in Austria two weeks ago. His wilful temperament was displayed when he did not bother trying to pre-qualify for the Open, but he can cope with pressure.

Steven Richardson is a strong player, but he has not won a tournament since early 1991. And it you want a wild 'wild card' suggestion, do not rule out Gordon Brand Jnr.

There are other potential candidates, like Anders Forsbrand and Joakim Haeggman. But it has become something of a tradition that a Swede never makes the team, although now even an Italian has, and rookies are seldom given invitations. I expect we will see no Swedish turn-ups this time either.

Events this weekend could be crucial. If Baker, the most vulnerable of the nine, gets bumped out, Gallacher can simply give the third wild card to him. For the plant-battered Torrance to be denied as well, someone already well-placed in the points table will have to finish second today.

Assuming none of the above happens, I think the final place will go to Rafferty, although the decision may partly depend on what Seve says. We shall know soon enough.

HOW EUROPE'S RYDER CUP

TEAM IS SHAPING UP

Definite qualifiers: Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Constantino Rocca (It), Barry Lane, Mark James.

Probable qualifiers: Sam Torrance, Peter Baker.

Possible qualifiers: David Feherty, David Gilford.

Gallacher's possible choices: Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, plus either Joakim Haeggman, Feherty or Gilford.

(Photograph omitted)