With The 2010 Ryder Cup less than a year away, Challenge Tour graduate Sion E Bebb has shared his thoughts on the tournament coming to Wales, and how it should galvanise the nation.

He said: “It’ll be massive for Wales to host The Ryder Cup. Everyone in the country’s been talking about it since the announcement was made. It’s been all systems go. Golf’s definitely on the map in Wales more than ever now, and the events on the Challenge Tour and the Senior Tour have also helped in that respect. Before now I think some Americans probably thought Wales was part of England, but at least they now know we’re our own little country!”

The 41 year old hopes to be part of the Welsh Television team which covers The Ryder Cup, for which golfing fans can now enter a ticket ballot.

He said: “Hopefully I’ll be doing some work for S4C. They’re going to carry highlights straight after each day’s play, and the plan is for me to be doing some on-course commentary for them. I’ve never done anything like that before, but I’m really looking forward to it – it should be a lot of fun.”

Europe narrowly lost out to the US at The 2008 Ryder Cup in Valhalla, but remain unbeaten on home soil since 1997 and will be keen to recapture the title.

Bebb said: “European golf’s on a bit of a high at the moment, so I think we’ve got a great chance of getting the trophy back. There are a lot of special players in Europe at the moment, and you’ve got to be special to make that Team. It’s always packed full of European Tour winners, and to win on The European Tour is no mean feat.

“If we could have a Welshman in the Team it would be fantastic, but it’s certainly not going to be easy for any of our guys. If he continues his rate of development, Rhys [Davies] might have a chance of making the Team in the future. He’s certainly the best putter I’ve ever played with – every putt he hits looks as though it’s going to drop into the hole. The way he’s been playing this year, who knows what he might achieve one day?”

The man in charge of captaining the team and leading Europe’s assault on the showpiece event is Colin Montgomerie, who is undoubtedly the right man for the job, according to Bebb.

He said: “Monty seems to be doing everything right at the moment. The fact that we lost two years ago might actually work in his favour, because we’ll be desperate to win it back. I’m sure Monty will take a little bit from all of the Captains he’s played under down the years, and try to mould it into a style of his own. The job of Captain might seem to be only a small one compared to the players’ role, but people shouldn’t underestimate how important it is.”

The Ryder Cup is one of the pinnacles of a golfer’s career, with a global TV audience and capacity crowds watching every stroke, lending the unmissable event a unique atmosphere. Everyone has their own Ryder Cup heroes, and Bebb is no different. 

“Seve [Ballesteros] was always my hero, mainly for the way he played the game. One of my first memories of him at The 1983 Ryder Cup, playing a great bunker shot against Fuzzy Zoeller in the singles on the final day. Even though they only halved the match and America ended up winning by a point, Seve set the tone and he was one of the main reasons why Europe won at The Belfry two years later. So if I was to pick one player from the past who summed up what The Ryder Cup means, I’d pick Seve every time.” 

The Ryder Cup is being held at The Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, Wales, from October 1-3, 2010.