Wind of change hits Dunhill Cup

For world No1 Tiger Woods read Catherine Zeta Jones, who swung a club around the Old Course last year prior to watching film star partner Michael Douglas contest the pre-Cup Pro-Am.

For world No 3 David Duval read Michael Jordan, the basketball legend who teamed-up with Douglas and Sergio Garcia in the celebrity curtain-raiser to the Cup proper 12 months ago. It is understood that Mark McCormack's International Management Group, promoters of the Alfred Dunhill Cup, may seek to replicate the success of the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which is firmly established as one of the highlights of the US Tour. That event, in which professionals are partnered by stars of stage, screen and other sports, is contested over three courses - Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Poppy Hills - on California's Monterey Peninsula. In similar fashion, an Alfred Dunhill Pro-Am would include rounds at the Old Course and other links within the vicinity of St Andrews.

An announcement that the Cup, first played for in 1985 when Australia beat the US, is changing format could be made this week. But there is still doubt over the future of the IMG-run World Match Play Championship at Wentworth. The European Tour have just published their calendar for 2001, and it does not include a date for the 37-year-old event. McCormack confirmed to Standard Sport: "There is nothing officially scheduled for next year."

Indeed, it is hard to see where the Match Play can be squeezed into a full diary, but McCormack remains hopeful.

Significantly, last week's starting line-up was the first in 36 years to feature just one American - Bob May.

But all is not doom and gloom at St Andrews. South Africa field a strong team in Els, Retief Goosen and David Frost but defending champions Spain, without Garcia, add Miguel Angel Martin to last year's Ryder Cup pairing of José Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez. Scotland will be represented by Gary Orr and Ryder Cup men Montgomerie and Andrew Coltart.