Thomas Bjorn wasn’t supposed to be here. The 43-year-old Dane is somewhat of a father figure, ambassador, and lead advisory voice in European golf. He hasn’t played in the Ryder Cup since 2002, and was elevated to vice captain status at both the 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cups. He was presumably going to play the same role again this year as a veteran and decorated Euro Tour loyalist. And then he went out and lit it up on both sides of the pond, ensuring that he would qualify on points pretty early in the process this summer.
Thomas Bjorn back on European Ryder Cup team, should serve as ‘playing captain’
A full 12 years and a couple assistant captain roles later, Thomas Bjorn will play for team Europe in the Ryder Cup again.
Despite his long and successful career on the Euro Tour, Bjorn has just two Ryder Cup appearances -- the 1997 win at Valderrama and the 2002 win at The Belfry. So he’s never played in one on American soil, and now he’s back again in Scotland serving as a team leader and a “playing captain” of sorts. In his 1997 debut in Spain, Bjorn played in just one of the four two-man sessions. I would expect he might get limited action through the first two days again this year -- there’s just so much talent on the Euro side and four guys are going to have to sit.
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If and when he does get the call during the two-man games, it will be interesting to see who he’s paired up with by Paul McGinley. None of these guys are really his contemporaries -- he’s always played with Darren Clarke, and even played with Ian Woosnam (!) in his first Ryder Cup. That might make him a candidate to be paired with one of the rookies, perhaps Frenchman Victor Dubuisson, or either Jamie Donaldson or Stephen Gallacher. All three play regularly on the Euro Tour, where Bjorn is a leader and respected voice. He may be a nice balance for those rookies, who will face the most intense pressure of their golfing lives. Bjorn has served in that mentoring role as an assistant captain, why not have him do it again out on the course and playing side by side?
Age: 43
World ranking: 30
Ryder Cup record (Win-Loss-Halve): 3-2-1
Past Ryder Cup appearance: 1997, 2002
How he qualified: Automatic spot -- 4th (of 5 spots) from World Points List
