European Tour Insider: Big things loom for Huldahl

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Jeppe Huldahl won the Wales Open by a shot after a brilliant 4-under 67.

What is the chance of Jeppe Huldahl being a member of the twelve man European Ryder Cup team in October 2010?

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Colin Montgomerie may well have said "Jeppe who?" before the Celtic Manor Wales Open, and it would not have been a joking reference like Henrik Stenson calling the Dane "Jeep."

But over the Twenty Ten course, which will stage the biennial team event, it was the unheralded Dane who came out on top for his first European Tour victory.

Any questions to him about playing in the Ryder Cup are met with a bemused shrug -- as they probably should be. Here was a player ranked No. 377 in the world who hadn't secured a single top-10 finish on Tour, and yet he beats proven winners of the calibre of Niclas Fasth and Ignacio Garrido on the home stretch, playing flawless golf and looking unruffled.

"This is amazing." he said, "I hadn't done too well through this year to be honest, and I had to do some work to get my card, and now I've got it in one week."

Huldahl needs time to assess what he's achieved, and he can look anew at the schedule for the year ahead, knowing it will include a visit to the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, and could encompass the Dubai World Championship as well.

CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY

European Tour Podcast

Robert Lee and John Hawksworth look back at the Celtic Manor Wales Open and the first European Tour win for Jeppe Huldahl. Interviews with Ryder Cup captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin are also featured, and the Tip of the Week comes from David Frost. Click to listen

Christian Cevaer teed off in Wales, but didn't last long. Turns out, he needed some extra time to digest in his European Open win. At 5 over through 11 holes on day one, he called a halt, citing "physical and mental exhaustion."

He'd hardly slept since his win, has some troubling business issues to deal with and is suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. There's also a new baby on the way: "It's certainly time to give my mind and body the rest I and they deserve," he said.

RYDER RECONNAISANCE

Pavin

Monty has learned a little more about the Twenty Ten course, and Corey Pavin a lot more, but it maybe just as well that neither are playing in the 2010 Ryder Cup as both were well down the field in Wales.

Still, Pavin says he "got a lot done" in a "very productive week." The U.S. captain said he learned the "weather can be quite different from day to day here."

That was an understatement as more than a month's rain fell in one night and delayed the start to day three as a new river ran down the 18th fairway. There are plenty of fears about what the weather might bring come October if this is what happens in the height of June.

FATHER'S DAY

Jeev Milkha Singh has his sights set on being the first Indian to win a major when he tees it up at Bethpage next week.

Singh

He's already helped take golf to new levels in his home country, though he admits it's never likely to emulate the popularity of cricket.

Still, despite the multitude of titles he's won across Asia and Europe, there's no overtaking his father in the minds of his countrymen.

Milkha Singh -- "The Flying Sikh" -- was an Olympic sprinter of some repute, and rates as one of India's all-time top sportsmen. He accompanied Jeev at the Wales Open, reflecting how he'd won gold in the 400 meters at the Empire Games down the road in Cardiff in 1958.

"My dad's much better known than I am," Jeev said. "He always jokes with me, especially at airports or train stations. Most of the guys will take an autograph from him and he says 'Do you know my son? This is Jeev. He plays golf.'

"He's better known than I am, for sure."

A VINTAGE RED

No one will be surprised if David Frost matures like one of his vineyard's own red wines and tastes victory on the Champions Tour by the end of the year.

Frost

The 49-year-old Dallas-based South African is looking to join the senior ranks very soon after his 50th birthday in September; possibly starting with the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn in Hickory, N.C.

A winner 10 times in the United States as well as in Europe and his homeland, Frost has rebuilt his game in Europe over the last couple of seasons. He reveled in an early lead at the Celtic Manor Wales Open.

"It's not the golf course that's really suited for my game, but after Cevaer won last week, anything can happen on Tour," he said, referring to the Frenchman's win despite his lack of length off the tee.

"It's great to be able to compete with guys that are 25 years younger than you. You couldn't do it in rugby or tennis, but you can play this game until you're 65 years old and still be competitive. You don't have to hit the ball 300 yards to shoot a good score."

GOODNIGHT VIENNA

This week is a quiet one of the European Tour. The Austrian Open was originally in this slot on the calendar, but has been moved to the third week of September.

The Austrian Open will replace the British Masters which rests for a year, and Viennese organizers hope September will prove better timing as the tournament won't do battle with the build-up to the U.S. Open. The Fontana course has earned a terrific reputation, but Europe's best have previously found the event conflicting with their ideal preparations.