It’s a pity Seve’s memory is sullied by these call-offs

We can pay a much better tribute to the late Seve Ballesteros than the Seve Trophy in its current format.

There’s something unsatisfactory about events in Paris this week, as it feels like the tournament has been squeezed into a space when not much was happening.

The event was conceived with the right ideas as Seve always wanted the match between Great Britain and Ireland and Continental Europe as Ryder Cup training. But it’s been a big victim of the huge prizes on offer in golf these days and the fact that our best players are now based in America.

The Seve Trophy has never had a fixed place in the calendar and has always struggled for sponsorship. That was the case even when Seve was alive.

It’s a bit of a snub that our top players haven’t travelled to Paris, but it’s nothing new. I remember one year Seve being unable to persuade Sergio Garcia to play, and that shows how the match is viewed.

The European Tour is aware that it needs to do something better and longer-lasting to honour the contribution Seve made to golf in Europe.

I would favour a 72-hole strokeplay event at Pedrena, the village where Seve was born and learned to play the game. Memories of the great man abound there. One of the rooms in the clubhouse is filled with his trophies, while players could experience the course and surroundings that shaped the career of Europe’s finest golfer. I’m sure it would be a wonderful week and they could raise plenty of money for Seve’s foundation.

The only trouble is finding a sponsor, especially in these difficult economic times in Spain, where the Tour has lost so many tournaments in the last few years. It may not happen soon, but if done properly, it would be worth the wait.

As for this week’s contest, there is limited value as to what Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley can learn from proceedings.

It’s difficult to imagine a team at Gleneagles without this week’s absentees, and in reality, nothing prepares a player for the heat of Ryder Cup battle.

But it does offer useful matchplay practice. That’s important for a youngster like Matteo Manassero or veterans like Paul Lawrie and Thomas Bjorn. They want to show the captain that if they qualified for the team or were in contention for a pick, they’d be ready.

And the fact that Sam Torrance is captaining the GB&I team is significant. I’m certain he’ll be a key member of Paul’s backroom team at Gleneagles, as Paul really enjoyed Sam’s captaincy at The Belfry in 2002.

Sam knew how to get the best out of his players and he also knew how to relax in the team room two traits that Paul will be keen to have next year.