Daly's empty ashtray stubs out sponsors

John Daly took another puff of his cigarette. "This is the wrong tournament to be talking about quitting smoking," he said. Daly received a special invitation to play in the Benson and Hedges International, which starts at The Belfry today.

Daly would have been the perfect guest for the sponsors until he suffered a "mini-stroke" last Friday. It was not as bad as it sounds. "But it could have been if I had continued to take the diet pills I was on," he said. "I'll be looking like Babe Ruth before too long." The "Wild Thing", who has been prescribed blood thinning tablets, is concerned if he gives up smoking he really will resemble the portly baseball star of yesteryear. "I'm going to have to try to cut back on the smoking," he said. "That is going to be the hardest thing. It is on the course that I smoke the most, about 10 or 11 a round."

Daly, the only twice major champion never to be selected for the US Ryder Cup team, will not be back in September, but 10 of the European team who will play in the match postponed from last year are here.

Only the US-based Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik were missing from a get-together on Tuesday. Though of only minor relevance four months ahead of time, the captain Sam Torrance was able to try out some new pairings. Phil Price and Pierre Fulke had the best betterball score of 10 under in beating Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood 6 and 5.

Probably of more value was the dinner, where Denmark's Thomas Bjorn suggested to Torrance that he should get the England coach, Sven Goran Eriksson, to address the team. Sir Alex Ferguson had been invited to be at The Belfry last September.

"The idea was that Alex would come down and talk with us at dinner," Torrance said. "It wouldn't be anything formal but I am sure Alex being there would have given the players something. Sven being an international manager doesn't work with the same players all the time, which may be more like our situation."

Should England win the World Cup Eriksson's diary might be rather full, but a Football Association spokesman said he would be flattered to be asked.

Torrance confirmed his "back-room boys", alongside the official vice-captain, Ian Woosnam, would be Mark James and Joakim Haeggman. James, the 1999 captain, was due to be a vice-captain but was forced to resign the role in the summer of 2000 after the serialising of extracts from his controversial book about the Brookline match.

It was thought Torrance would only have his predecessor's advice available at the end of a telephone. James has another book due to be serialised shortly. On the other hand, while at this tournament a year ago Torrance denied he needed a Continental on his back-up team, Haeggman, the first Swede to play in the match in 1993 at The Belfry, is a sensible addition.

"Mark James was a fantastic captain in 1999," said Colin Montgomerie, "and, whatever has been written since, Sam is wise to include him for his views as a past captain."

Montgomerie is looking for a new regular caddie after splitting with Alastair McLean, his faithful bag man for the last 10 years.

"That is a long time at our level of sport," Montgomerie said. "It was just time for a change. We had a great time together and will remain friends. There's nothing personal in it."