Wood ready to make sparks fly at Gleneagles

Prestonfield Golf Club amateur Kevin Wood admits he is readying himself to take on the Ryder Cup course at Gleneagles.

The Edinburgh electrician (pictured on right) knows sparks will fly when he steps up to the tee for the final of The Lombard Trophy.

Wood, 30, will partner Prestonfield PGA Professional Gavin Cook (left) for the £43,600 showpiece event which will be held over the PGA Centenary course at the venue for next year’s Ryder Cup on September 3-4.

But Wood, who plays off a handicap of seven, knows the enormity of the task has yet to sink in.

He admitted: “It’ll only hit me when my name is called at the start, but from then on it’ll be down to business.

“I am excited about the prospect though, once I’ve hit that first ball then I just have to put it out of my mind and try to help Gavin to win.

“It’s a case of playing my normal game and not making a fool of myself. But it’s going to be a tremendous experience to play the holes that the world’s best players will take on next year in the Ryder Cup.”

Wood is back into the swing of it after taking time out from golf a few years back.

He said: “I played as a junior then got back into it again about five years ago. I’ve been playing reasonably well.”

Cook admits he and Wood will not have far to travel to the venue, but he is not convinced it will give them an advantage over the competition.

He smiled: “Of all the clubs taking part, we’re the closest to Gleneagles, it’s only about 35 minutes away.

“I’ve played there before, but there’ve been plenty of changes for the Ryder Cup, so I’m not sure we’ll have an advantage.”

But Cook says he will use plenty of reverse psychology to make sure he and Wood play well as a team.

He added: “I don’t like to put pressure on the amateur players, if we’re doing well then I won’t let on, that’s when the whole thing can collapse.

“Its part of the professional’s job to make sure his partner doesn’t get too nervous.”