The Gentleman Magazine Issue 10 | August 2018 | Page 55

When it comes to selecting Team Europe, Bjørn will have a
more significant input than any of his predecessors in the
role of captain. While eight of the 12 will be selected from a
combination of European Tour and World rankings, he will
be able to choose an unprecedented four wild card picks, one
more than any captain preceding him.
When making his decision about who should be his special
choices, Bjørn will have to weigh numerous considerations.
Perhaps a player of significant Ryder Cup pedigree suffering
from a temporary dip in results would be the best choice.
He could also bring in a fine player recently recovered from
an injury who has been prevented by absence from accruing
sufficient points on the Tour to qualify outright. Or he might
call upon a local, used to playing the Paris course. Not that he
is giving anything away about his thinking this far from the
selection deadline.
TEAM TRUST
When the first tee shot is made on the morning of 28 September,
the captain will have decided who plays with whom, and in
what order. That is often a critical, match-winning decision.
And it is one Bjørn knows he will need to get right.
“You must put your trust in your team and believe that your
12 guys can deliver,” says the Dane. “You’ve got to try to play to
your team’s strengths as best you can. Hindsight is 20/20, and
people will always say what might have happened if you had
chosen differently. You just have to go on what feels right in
the moment.”
Looking back at his own contribution to Ryder Cup history
(he was on the winning side in all three of his appearances in
1997, 2002 and 2014) he is well aware of the significance of the
captain’s contribution. “Sam Torrance was a fantastic captain
[in 2002]. He had a different captaincy than in previous years,
unfortunately because of September 11th [when tragic events
in New York delayed the match for 12 months]. But it did give
him an extra year to prepare. He got to spend so much time
with us that he influenced us a lot and that put a completely
different perspective on the captaincy. He was a motivator, and
he had the ability to make all 12 players feel like they were the
best in the world. He probably didn’t have the greatest team,
but he still managed to win against an American team that was
extremely strong. I thought that his way of talking to people
was amazing.”
It is an approach Bjørn will seek to emulate in his one-on-one
conversations with the players. Though he says he won’t even
try to match Torrance’s inspirational locker room speeches,
ever grand and moving.
“I won’t try to be something that I’m not,” he insists. “I want
to try to create an uplifting environment for the players. I have
some different responsibilities as captain because I have to
listen to everybody and then make decisions and I understand
that. But I still want to create an environment that all of these
guys enjoy being in and playing in. Whether we win or lose, I
want all 12 guys to walk away from The Ryder Cup thinking
that it was a good experience – that is my main goal.”
That experience will really begin the moment Bjørn presents the
ceremonial Rolex watches to each of the twelve representatives
of Team Europe.
ROLEX TESTIMONEE: JON RAHM
The Gentleman Magazine | 55