Former Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal joined those expressing disappointment that six of his players from Medinah have opted not to play in next week’s Seve Trophy tournament in France.
Olazabal, who made his late friend’s memory the centrepiece of his European team’s effort as they came back to dramatic victory in last year’s Ryder Cup, will captain the Europe team against Great Britain and Ireland in the matches in St-Nom-la-Breteche near Paris.
However, he said he “felt much the same” as Paul Lawrie, who on Wednesday said he couldn’t understand why leading players Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson were not competing.
“I know it’s a long and very demanding season, especially for the top players who have to travel around the world,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to it because, obviously, Seve remains very close to my heart and this is an event that Seve created, one he believed would become a great tournament, with Great Britain and Ireland competing against Europe.
“If you ask me, I feel it would be wonderful if these top players came to play in the event. I haven’t spoken to them, but I’ve been in their situation, I know how tough it is, so I’m not going to tell them what to do.”
Those questioning whether the European team members who evoked Ballesteros’ memory so readily at Medinah should have made the effort to honour him in next week’s event got little response from the six, excepting for Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood on Twitter.
Poulter initially tweeted that he would next play the BMW event in China, adding “Unfortunately you can’t play every tournament.
“We have to plan a schedule that enables us to compete at our best for each chosen event.”
Westwood, apparently in an attempt to wind up his fellow European team-mate, tweeted asking him why he wasn’t playing the Dunhill Links and the Seve Trophy to which Poulter replied “Because I have a life, four children, a wife, and I like to see them occasionally.”
Later, answering a tweet from a fan whether it was not disrespectful to miss the event, Poulter replied “Can’t play them all I’m afraid.
“I haven’t played Memorial for years is it disrespectful to Nicklaus?”