Its Ryder Cup Rivalry as Monty and Pavin lock horns at The Celtic Manor Wales Open

Ryder Cup rivalry will begin early with the news that both the captain of the European team, Colin Montgomerie and the captain of the United States team, Corey Pavin will be amongst the field competing for the Wales Open when it returns to The Celtic Manor Resort in June.

The tournament, which will be played on the Twenty Ten Course – the first ever built specifically for The Ryder Cup – sees Mongomerie make his seventh appearance at the tournament and will be his second competitive appearance over the Twenty Ten Cours. Pavin, meanwhile, has yet to tread the fairways of the Welsh venue but is relishing the prospect of getting to grips with the course which will stage the 2010 renewal of The Ryder Cup next October.

“The Ryder Cup is the most dynamic and intense experience a competitive golfer will ever have and for me personally the dream will begin to become reality with my trip to Wales in June,” said Pavin in a news release.

“I have heard a lot of great things about the Twenty Ten course and I cannot wait to see how it is set up for the Wales Open as well as imagining how it may be set up for the Ryder Cup.”

Pavin has won twice on the European Tour; winning the German Open in 1983 and defeating Nick Faldo in the 1993 World Match Play Championship at Wentworth and his appearance at The Celtic Manor Resort will be his first in an European Tour event, excluding The British Open, since finishing in a tie for place at the Scandinavian Masters in August 2007. In all, Pavin has tasted victory on 27 occasions and, like Montgomerie, holds an impressive Ryder Cup record having won 8 out of 13 matches he has featured in. He was also assistant captain to Tom Lehman at the K Club in the 2006 Ryder Cup and will be bidding to become the first US Captain since Tom Watson in 1993 to win the Ryder Cup on European turf.

Montgomerie has locked horns three times with Pavin during their Ryder Cup appearances and the big Scot admits to looking forward to playing alongside him again.

“It is tremendous news that Corey is playing and myself and Gaynor look forward very much to welcoming him and Lisa to Wales,” Montgomerie said.

“Throughout his career, Corey has shown himself as a great competitor and I am sure, like me, he will be striving to win The Celtic Manor Wales Open as well as looking ahead to his own plans for next year’s Ryder Cup.

“I always enjoy playing in The Celtic Manor Wales Open. It has additional significance as we are playing on the course where next year’s Ryder Cup will unfold. It is set up to challenge the best and, being a course with a whole host of tempting options and punishing hazards, there will be much for Corey and I to examine.”

The Celtic Manor Wales Open will take place from June 4th to June 7th over the Twenty Ten course. Previous tournaments have been played over the Roman Road course and the Wentwood Hills course.