PAUL O'HARA HITS OUT AT SELECTORS

FOR NOT CHOOSING HIM FOR

EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

Paul O'Hara, 20-year-old younger brother of Steven, the European Tour player, has publicly criticised the Scottish Golf Union selectors for not naming him as one of the six players to represent Scotland in the forthcoming European men's amateur team championship at Western Gailes.

"It's a joke. I'm ranking. As soon as I got the letter saying I was the reserve, I called the SGU and told them I didn't want to be a reserve and that I shoould have been in the team in the first place," said Paul, pictured right, a member of Colville Park Golf Club, Motherwell.

O'Hara was seventh in the recent Scottish stroke-play championship at Royal Dornoch where James Byrne (Banchory), the new cap in the team for Western Gailes, finished second.

O'Hara has been involved in the Scottish men's squads since he reached the final of the Scottish amateur championship at Gullane in 2004.

He is in the GB&I squad for 23 for Walker Cup training and practice.

"It looks as if it's easier to get into the Walker Cup team that the Scotland team," he said.

Asked if he was worried that his criticism of the SGU selection process might jeopardise his chances of being picked for future Scotland teams, O'Hara said: "I don't care."

Paul failed to get past the Monday-Tuesday qualifying rounds of this week's British amateur championship at Royal Lytham - but neither did Keir McNicoll (Carnoustie) and Jonathan King (Glasgow) who are in the six-man Scotland team for the European championships.

ANY COMMENTS? Do you think Paul O'Hara may live to regret publicly criticising the Scottish Golf Union international selectors? Would he have been better to keep his mouth shut and let his clubs do the talking by WINNING tournaments
E-mail your view to colin@scottishgolfview.com