Stiggy is not in any way, shape or form a "character." I was in the interview room on Saturday when he, Gavin Dear and Captain Dalgleish went through the paces. Stiggy is a self-described competitor, up from an underprivileged background, who got his nickname from a cartoon back in his youth. He talked about how he fell into a skid (a garbage bin) when with his dad and came out with a club. He and golf were joined and yes, he still has the club. Good story, hard-nosed and focused competitor, polite and direct young man (19 who looks 14) but in no way a character.
Sorry, Ronald, but anyone who can tell a tale on himself about falling into a dumpster (skid) in that accent is a character by definition. Nothing pejorative about being a character, it's a bonus actually.
Being a character is fine. It really depends what adjective proceeds the word. The story about the dumpster is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stig_of_the_Dump
As to the question of reforming the WC, I think that is premature. In the last few Ryder, Walker and even Solheim Cups, some of the overall scores have exaggerated the differences between the teams. Seems like when the winning team gets momentum on the last day, the final score really opens up.
2004 and 2006 Ryder Cups were both won 18.5 to 9.5 by Europe, then 2008 16.5 to 11.5 by the US. That is a 14 point shift (from -9 to +5).
In reality, the differences between the teams in terms of underlying strength and ability were exaggerated by all of those scores.
So too does the recent Walker Cup result exaggerate the differences. I wonder if one factor may be also that more of the European amateurs turn pro without going to a US college, thus sacrificing eligibility for the WC. If McIlroy had gone to a US college, he would have been in this years side. Likewise Shane Lowry, who won a full field event on the Euro Tour this year, would have been a cert.
However, it is true that players like the Molinaris and Matteo Manassero would be assets to a EU team!