Thomas Bjorn named 2018 European Ryder Cup captain

Europe has found its man to lead them back to the Ryder Cup in 2018.

Thomas Bjorn is the new European Ryder Cup captain, landing the job for the next matches in the biennial series in Paris. Bjorn earned the vote of a five-person panel to get the captaincy, succeeding Darren Clarke, whose team lost 17-11 at Hazeltine National in October. The defeat marked the first time the Europeans had lost since 2008 in Kentucky. However, the Europeans haven’t lost a home game since 1993, when Tom Watson led the U.S. side for the first time in Ireland.

“It’s a huge honor for me to be named European captain for the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris,” Bjorn said. “This is one of the greatest days in my career.”

Bjorn is the first Scandinavian golfer to lead the European Ryder Cup team, taking the position after a Ryder Cup career that began in 1997 at Valderrama. The Dane was also on winning European teams in 2002 and 2014, totaling a 3-4-2 record. He’s also been a vice-captain, doing so in 2004, ’10, ’12 and ’16.

“I studied a lot of captains as a player and as a vice captain and always wondered what that feeling would be like to be the one leading out a team of 12 great players,” he said. “Now it’s my turn to do just that and it is an exciting moment for me.”

Bjorn has been chairman of the European Tour’s three-player Tournament Committee since 2007, a post which he’ll relinquish now that he’s European captain.

“I have lived and breathed the European Tour for so long, and now I will do the same with The Ryder Cup for the next two years,” he said. “I’m very much looking forward to taking on this task.”

Bjorn is a 15-time European Tour winner, the most among Danish-born players, and he has a pair of runner-up finishes in the British Open.

The 2018 Ryder Cup will be played Sept. 28-30 at Le Golf National in France.

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo Sports

Other Related Posts: