Youngsters leave Torrance spoilt for choice

The emergence of exciting golfing talent stamped "Made in Britain" is set to provide a vital boost to Europe's Ryder Cup challenge.

The question facing Sam Torrance is whether he will be able to tap into that talent at The Belfry next month or face the frustration of seeing a likely successor as Europe's captain capitalise on this new breed of bold young player in 2003.

The answer will come on Sunday when Torrance names his 12-man team to meet a United States side headed by Tiger Woods, the world No1 who served notice of an ominous return to form by successfully defending the £3.6 million NEC Invitational World Championship here.

Paul Casey, who marked only his 15th tournament as a professional by winning the Scottish PGA title at Gleneagles on Sunday, and Ian Poulter, who tied with or beat two reigning major champions on his World Championship debut at the Firestone Country Club, are both brimming with Ryder Cup potential. And there are more where they came from.

Casey is the 24-year-old from Weybridge in Surrey whose match-play skills proved so valuable to Great Britain and Ireland's successful Walker Cup side. He said: "I don't think we have to worry about the state of British golf right now.

"There are a lot of strong players from my generation. With players like Luke Donald, Nick Dougherty, Justin Rose and Ian Poulter, there is a wave of good players at home. If they can come through and fulfil their potential then I think we will have Ryder Cups where there are a lot of British and Irish players in the team."