TWO of Europe's biggest names have hinted to Jose Maria Olazabal that they may not be willing to play in next month's Seve Trophy at The Wynyard.
Olazabal - who has taken over from Seve Ballesteros as captain of the Continental Europe team - looks unlikley to be able to call upon Sergio Garcia and Bernhard Langer.
''Sergio told me he most probably won't be available because he's playing in America and when I spoke to Bernhard he said there's a question mark too,'' stated Olazabal.
If one or both of them qualify for the HSBC World Matchplay Championship at Wentworth on September 15-18 - a week before the Seve Trophy - there is still a chance they could play.
A host of players battling for places will look to cement their appearances at The Wynyard with good performances in this week's USPGA at Baltusrol.
The year's final major championship offers a wealth of world ranking points for those players looking to tee-off in Tees Valley next month as part of the Great Britain and Ireland or Continental Europe sides.
The impressive list of European entrants in New Jersey includes Seve Trophy captains Colin Montgomerie and Olazabal, both enjoying a return to form after securing second and third places respectively at The Open.
Also lining up at Baltusrol are Ian Poulter, Nick Dougherty, Darren Clarke, Garcia, Langer, Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood.
A clutch of Scandinavians at the USPGA are also in the fray for the Seve Trophy - Thomas Bjorn, Peter Hanson, Henrik Stenson and the in-form Niclas Fasth fresh from winning The Deutsche Bank Players' Championship of Europe.
Tickets for the Seve Trophy are available via the Seve Trophy website www.sevetrophy2005.com or at www.ticketmaster.co.uk or by phoning 0870 602 1121.
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