IAN WOOSNAM’S honeymoon as captain of the Europe Ryder Cup team has been shattered by an astonishing verbal attack on him by Thomas Björn, whom Woosnam left out of his side to play the United States in favour of Lee Westwood. Björn accused the Welshman of “not having leadership qualities” and described Woosnam’s captaincy so far as being “the most pathetic I have ever seen”.

Woosnam has also had to come to terms with the fact that Bernhard Langer, his predecessor as Europe’s captain, had been talking regularly to Tom Lehman, the captain of the US team, and not him.

It is just as well that Woosnam is only 5ft 5in because he may try to let these issues pass over his head, concluding that this is the sort of thing that comes with the honour and financial reward of being captain. Woosnam sought Björn out in Munich on Sunday night after the BMW International Open to have a word with him but the atmosphere was so fraught that the conversation lasted less than a minute.

Woosnam has clearly made an error. He might have weakened some of Björn’s criticism by speaking to him before the announcement was made, just as it would have been gracious if he had made polite references to other players who had performed well in the Ryder Cup race without getting a place in the team to face the Americans from September 22-24.

The reaction of Björn, who has played twice in this event with some distinction, has ended any possibility of the Dane being at the K Club, Co Kildare, as a team helper, a role he fulfilled brilliantly in Detroit two years ago. “So far his captaincy has been the most pathetic I have ever seen,” Björn said. “I haven’t spoken to him for six months and now I find that I’m not in the team watching television. How can that be right? He has put a lot of players through misery because he just hasn’t done the right thing.

“I have nothing against Lee Westwood. But if you can find one category in which he has beaten me then I would like to see it. I have played better than him in the qualifying phase — and then Woosnam bases his decision on results which are more than five years old. I don’t understand the way he is handling the whole situation. It doesn’t look like he is burdened by leadership qualities.

“He came into the bar at the hotel and gave me 20 seconds about Lee having won twice at the K Club. In a bar — that kind of sums it up. He can’t walk up to me, tell me in 20 seconds and expect me to be happy. I’m very disappointed. I think he’s been very poor in the way he’s handled the players.”

Woosnam cited Westwood’s two victories at the K Club as being among the factors that influenced him, leaving unsaid that Björn ran up an 11 on the 17th in the final round of last year’s Smurfit European Open when he had begun the day four strokes clear of the field.

“If that’s what it’s come down to then why didn’t he tell me I don’t think you’ve got the bottle to stand on the 17th tee?” Björn asked. “Yes, Lee’s won twice there. But Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros won at Augusta and I don’t think they’d be picked if this Ryder Cup was being played there.

“Woosie played with me when I finished second at the K Club (in 2001) by finishing three-four-three (an eagle and two birdies). So I’ve had good experiences there, too. But if it’s come down to one bad one then why didn’t he tell me?”

Even before this row with Björn, Woosnam was aggrieved at the way Langer appeared to be giving advice to Lehman. “That seems strange to me,” Woosnam said, ignoring the fact that Lehman and Langer are both committed Christians and long-term friends who probably see a lot more of one another than Langer and Woosnam do.

Woosnam said he has not spoken to Langer and has no plans to. “I’ve spoken to two other captains about their experience,” he said. “I feel I am in control of what I am doing. I’ve been in the team room many times. I’ve been a vice-captain. I’ve seen how it has worked before.”

Langer clearly felt it was in the spirit of friendship to respond to the American captain’s request for insight into the job. But the German admitted he had held a little bit back.

If Woosnam thought the really difficult part of the biennial competition would come during the week of the match, he was wrong. It has started already and across the Atlantic Lehman must be privately pleased at the obvious disharmony in the Europe camp.