A world apart from the game

SIMPLY GOLF

Imagine the football World Cup without Brazil or Argentina; or the World Cup Rugby without England or New Zealand; or the cricket World Cup without Australia or India.

It certainly wouldn't be a World Cup. But the World Cup in golf has almost come to accept that most of its top stars are going to stay away.

This year, when the event took place at the Real Club de Golf in Seville, Spain, there were almost no marquee stars. The Americans, who have won the World Cup 23 times since its inception in 1953, had their top nine turning down invitations.

Only two top-10 players accepted: Sergio Garcia (No. 9) and Ireland's Padraig Harrington (No. 6). The world's top four: Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen found something else do that week.

And it couldn't have been anything to do with money, for the World Cup does offer a big packet. The winning team splits $1.4 million from a total purse of $4 million.

England won the WGC-World Cup with Luke Donald (World No. 27) and Paul Casey (World No. 30), both of whom are ranked outside the top 25. They beat Garcia (World No. 9) and his partner, the pony-tailed cigar-chomping Miguel Angel Jimenez (World No. 13), who the guard at the club failed to recognise and stopped him at the entrance.

No one doubts their talent or their ability, but it is hardly doing the World Cup any good. And questions are already being asked about its need in its present form.

It is not as if the World Cup has come late. It was established more than five decades ago. Since then players such as Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, have teamed up four times to bring the trophy home for the Americans.

This year, the Americans were represented by Scott Verplank and Bob Tway. Both are good players but hardly household names. They finished seventh.

The South Africans were represented by Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman, who incidentally were the defending champions. But when you put them alongside Els and Goosen, the No. 3 and No. 4 in the world, they do pale in comparison.

Several pros and critics feel that there is just too much golf and too much money on the US PGA Tour. Since the World Cup comes right at the end of the season, as the last of the World Golf Championships series, the top stars too begin to wind down and play some fun golf in the form of Skins, Skills Challenges and some special appearances for hefty fees.

Verplank, the 10th-ranked American, who gave his consent to play the World Cup, was quoted as saying, "Maybe there are a few too many tournaments worldwide. I know you can't play every week. Maybe you could make this (World Cup) a $10 million purse, and I bet your field would be filled."

This time, Ireland was represented by Ryder Cup stars Paul Harrington and Paul McGinley, who had earlier won the1997 World Cup. England's Ryder Cup players, Casey and Donald, have played together in the Walker Cup for amateurs way back in 1999.

England won the WGC-World Cup for the second time in 50 years with Casey and Donald . Casey's performance, in particular, was terrific, considering the pressure he was under following the controversy over his remarks that suggested he "hated" the Americans. His putting was pure magic and Donald was solid as a rock.

They fired a brilliant 8-under 64 in the closing foursomes for a 31-under tournament tally that edged by just one shot from Spain's never-say-die couple Garcia and Jiménez, who led after three days.

Donald, making his World Cup debut, said that his inspiration came from the Rugby World Cup won by England a year ago. For Casey, it was third time lucky, after having been third with Justin Rose in 2002, and then second with Rose, the following year. Casey needed to nail a tense, six-foot pressure putt for bogey at the last hole to avoid a play-off and wrap up the title.