ROME — Luke Donald and I developed a very good relationship in Paris when I was captain. Golf can be mighty impressive and strong in the way some people play. And then there are those people who have the ability to play the game within themselves. Luke was one of the best of all time at that. He understood his own game, his limitations. He had some qualities and made the most of them. That is why I wanted him as a vice-captain in Paris.
He was arguably one of our best foursomes players ever. I wanted him because of his ability to talk to the players about the importance of foursomes and how to play it. You get a nice calm conversation with Luke if you are feeling uncertain about something. It’s not happening at a high level of intensity. He is a very calming figure and that will go through his captaincy.
For the captain there is a lot of structure to the week. When you come in as captain you don’t know the personnel behind the scenes and all the things you have to do. We talked a lot about how he manages his time throughout the week so that he has time for all the things he needs to do and the players. I found that was one of the more difficult things I had to do, managing the week. It’s very busy.
Luke has very clear ideas of how he sees it and wants it. Every time he has a little doubt we have a conversation. I think me and Jose Maria Olazabal have helped him a lot with his thought processes. Going back to my own captaincy, it’s important to have people where you can talk things through. Am I going down the right route here, how are the players going to react to this or that. I have been here just to support him in that. You learn a lot about yourself as captain when you have conversations with others. He uses me probably more than the others in that way. The phone will ring and it will be Luke with a quick question and I give him a straight answer.
This is not a usual week for the players, either, where they can decide themselves what to do. They can’t say I don’t want to speak to the media, for example, and sneak out the back door. They are forced into the centre of things and there is no hiding place. Time is like gold dust. You don’t have much time to sit down and just be you. But that’s the nature of it and also what makes it great fun to be a part of. You get tested to the full.
People sometimes question why there are so many vice-captains. Well this is why. They take a huge role with the players. They are the comfort blanket for the players. There is always someone at their sides, to inform them and listen to them and make sure they are comfortable with what they are doing, and what the team is doing. There is always a bigger picture. It’s a hugely important part that they play and not to be underestimated.
We are very comfortable with our team, a new team and new generation of players in a good place with themselves. They are extreme talents. Nicolai Hojgaard and his brother Rasmus (not selected) we have known about for a couple of years. We are delighted with his progress and we think he is ready for this. Ludvig Aberg has come storming onto the scene. Interestingly enough I asked Edoardo Molinari last summer if there was anybody in college golf that was special and he mentioned Ludvig, said he stood out statistically. And here we are.
It’s a quick rise but when you look at the questions he was asked, to come and play a couple of events in Europe and see what he did, it is something we are very comfortable with. A generational talent are the words Luke used and that is how we feel about him. Someone who stands out even though he has only been around a short while.
We have a huge respect and a huge amount of time for our opponents. We know what they are capable of. We know we need to be at our best, but we will be ready to play come Friday morning. We have a strong belief that this team is a new generation of Ryder Cup players that is going to play for many years to come and will show that it is ready to win.
Thomas Bjorn was speaking to Kevin Garside on behalf of Betway
