Injury bug hits Montgomerie's Ryder Cup team once again
For Colin Montgomerie, European team captain for the fast-approaching Ryder Cup, good news was quickly followed by some bad news.
Montgomerie received word in the past few days that Lee Westwood, the number-three ranked golfer in the world, has fully recovered from a ruptured calf muscle suffered earlier this summer. All signs point to him being fit and ready to go.
But Montgomerie’s sigh of relief was quickly interrupted by troubling news about another member of his team.
The latest news is that Peter Hanson of Sweden, a Ryder Cup rookie, has withdrawn from the French Vivendi Cup at Golf de Joyenval, located just outside of Paris. The event comes one week before the Ryder Cup begins on 1 October at Celtic Manor in Wales.
The 32-year-old Hanson cited a head cold, chest infection, and fever as his reasons for the withdrawal.
Hanson will return to his home in Sweden and hopes to recover in time to tee it up for the first time as a member of a Ryder Cup team.
Hanson has four career wins and has been a consistent performer on the European Tour for the past few years, having finished in the top-20 of the European Tour Order of Merit (money list) in 2007, 2008, and 2009. This season, Hanson is a multiple-winner
on tour for the first time in his career. He won the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca in Spain in May and the Czech Open in August.
Both wins came in a play-off, showing that the young Swede should be capable of pulling off pressure-packed shots, a must for the Ryder Cup.
If Hanson is unable to play, Montgomerie will be forced to choose a replacement. All signs point to either Paul Casey or Justin Rose as possible replacements.
Many players from both the American and European teams are in action this week either at the Tour Championship in Atlanta or the French Vivendi Cup.
To date, there have been no reports of injuries or illness for any member of the American team.
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