THIS weekend’s Ryder Cup looks set to be a good one – and I believe that Hook golfer Justin Rose could be key to Europe’s chances of success.

Rose is an outstanding golfer, one of the best in the world, but you only have to look at the contrasting Ryder Cup records of Tiger Woods and Ian Poulter to see that major wins and world rankings go out of the window for this unique event.

Despite his outstanding career, Woods has never really set the Ryder Cup on fire, though his absence will be felt at Gleneagles this weekend.

Poulter, on the other hand, has not enjoyed anything like the same success, but he has forged a name for himself as something of a Ryder Cup specialist, thriving in the atmosphere and matchplay format.

Like his close friend Poulter, who Rose is likely to be paired with at least once over the course of the first two days, Rose seems to enjoy the Ryder Cup atmosphere, but it is his style of play that could make him so crucial.

The former Robert May’s School pupil is among the most accurate players on tour, regularly leading the rankings when it comes to hitting fairways and greens.

He is not a birdie machine, with his good performances normally coming as a result of four solid rounds rather than one exceptional one, but his accuracy still makes him a very useful Ryder Cup player.

This is most obvious in foursomes, the format that sees players take alternate shots. The advantage of having a consistent player like Rose in your pairing is obvious and I expect him to play both matches in this format, probably alongside Poulter.

Rose’s record in fourballs, where both partners play the hole, taking the best score on each, is not as good. Holes are more often than not won by birdies and as I have already explained, Rose is not the sort of player likely to make four or five in a row.

However, with the correct partner, he could be a real asset. If you were to pair Rose with a long-hitting, attacking player, Rory McIlroy for instance, he could provide a balance.

Rose’s consistency would give a partner like McIlroy licence to go for his shots and could prove to be a winning combination.

The pairing for tomorrow morning’s fourballs will be announced later this afternoon, and I for one would be delighted to see Rose paired with McIlroy. However, I’m not sure that it’s a pairing that European captain Paul McGinley has given much thought to, with the duo never playing in the same practice group.

When it comes to Sunday’s singles matches, I will be interested to see how Rose gets on. He doesn’t have the best record in the limited matchplay events on the tour schedule, but has won both of his previous Ryder Cup singles encounters.

This looks even more impressive when you consider that both wins have come against Phil Mickelson, a real giant of the game.

The reason for this may be Mickelson’s gentile nature. In the pressure cooker of a Ryder Cup singles, I get the feeling that he’s just too nice. He even applauded Rose’s miracle putt on 17 at Medinah two years ago.

Can you imagine Poulter doing that? Me neither. It will be interesting to see how Rose fares if he is drawn against a more competitive opponent.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Congratulations to Hampshire

As I was in the process of writing this column, Hampshire, including Basingstoke-born bowler Chris Wood (pictured celebrating above), were securing the County Championship Division Two title.

Hampshire went into their final game of the season at Glamorgan knowing that a win would see them promoted back to Division One after a three-year absence.

They did it the hard way, recovering after losing early wickets to eventually beat the Welsh outfit by 291-runs.

Not only did the win secure promotion, but Worcestershire's defeat to Essex means that Hampshire claimed the title.

Well done to them, and fingers crossed they can have a successful year in Division One in 2015.