General / Editor / 07 September 2007 /

Former European pro Roger Chapman on the Swiss venue where the race for Ryder Cup points begins

Every other year, European Tour players travel to Geneva to start collecting Ryder Cup points. We walk out of the arrivals hall and head to the train station in the airport then board a train for Sierre in the Swiss Alps en route to Crans sur Sierre, one of the most spectacular venues on the circuit.

It is a two hour trip and while normally this would be an inconvenience, when you pass by Lake Geneva and go through towns like Montreux where there is the famous Freddie Mercury statue looking majestically out over the lake in full rock star pose, it is a fantastic sight and a beautiful journey all the way. The train takes you through the start of the Alps and riding through the valleys, you see the many vineyards on the south facing slopes. The two hours pass quickly and at the end you jump into a courtesy car to the final destination.

Crans sur Sierre is a picturesque little skiing town with very expensive shops and exclusive apartments - this place is only for the rich in the winter! We check into the Alpina Savoy Hotel and walk down to the golf club, which is just two minutes away - you can walk everywhere in this town.

It's a beautiful golf course; the views across the fairways to the snow capped mountains in the distance are outstanding. They appear to surround you like an auditorium. The best view is from the 7th tee. Walking through the trees from the 6th green onto the tee just takes your breath away. I remember the first time I played the course in 1982 and it gets better every time I go.

The course has changed over the years. In the early days, players would shoot the lights out as the thin air and design made it easier to reach the greens. If your putting was on song, anything was possible but since Save Ballesteros re-designed the greens, the scoring has been indifferent! The cuts used to be around three, four, five under - which was one of the lowest of the year - but now it's around level par. I remember the first three years I played, I was nowhere near making the cut and I wasn't going to play in 1985 but entered and shot 61 in the first round, 69 and 67 followed but a 73 in the last round allowed Craig Stadler in to win.

Enough of past events. This year's tournament kicks off with 156 players looking to get off to a flying start in the Ryder Cup points table. It's always the first event to count. David Howell is there looking to get his season going. He has been so unfortunate with injuries and needs a little luck to go his way. We need him to play in Valhalla - the venue of the 2008 Ryder Cup.

Who will make the team? Harrington, Donald and Garcia are certainties, but who will join them? It's quite open this year and that's not saying the team will be weak - there are so many good players on the verge of making it. Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Nick Dougherty and Niclas Fasth are likely to make it. A pair of outside bets could be Johan Edfors and Ross Fisher. Looking at the names I have given you, it's clear that English golf is in great shape! I think Nick Faldo, the captain for 2008, will have to think extremely hard about his two picks because although whoever makes the automatic places will be great, there's bound to be some brilliant players left out of it. There is so much depth of talent in the European golf right now.

One question I have is, if we win again, will the Americans say: 'We're not playing any more, we'll concentrate on the Presidents Cup' - a competition they own 100% .

The Americans do not play as a team while our boys loved every minute of the 2006 match in Dublin. I didn't see many smiles on the American team. We almost need them to win to get their enthusiasm back, not that I am advocating a victory for the USA!

So, back on the slopes of the Alps, the charge for Ryder Cup points begins and by August next year, the race will be over. It will be an exciting time for the European Tour. Good luck to all.

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