Vice-captains confident

Olazabal not considered due to ill-health

Last updated: 20th July 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Vice-captains confident

Bjorn (left) and Clarke

On paper this will be the strongest European team ever produced. Hopefully we can make the right decisions and win the Ryder Cup back. I am really looking forward to the role.

Paul McGinley
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Paul McGinley is convinced that Europe will have its best ever team as they bid to regain the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in October.

Speaking following his unveiling as one of skipper Colin Montgomerie's vice-captains alongside Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke, the Irishman said: "On paper this will be the strongest European team ever produced.

"Hopefully we can make the right decisions and win the Ryder Cup back. I am really looking forward to the role."

Bjorn added: "It is an honour to be part of the team behind the scenes trying to win back the Ryder Cup.

"We want to go to Wales and get that trophy back. To work with Monty will be a great experience and I am sure we have a strong team to win the trophy back."

Clarke said: "It will be an honour to work under Monty and be part of his team. We will do whatever we have to do to help him.

"It is hugely important that the team performs the way it can perform and, the way it is shaping up at the moment, it looks like we have a fantastic team."

Olazabal

Montgomerie revealed Jose Maria Olazabal had not been considered for a vice-captaincy role because of his ill health, but tipped the Spaniard to captain the team in the future.

The Scot said: "Jose Maria will be a captain of the Ryder Cup team in the future but he is not keeping good health right now. It is important that these players here are together with other players (on the tour). I spoke to Jose Maria and he wished us the best of luck in our quest to regain this fabulous trophy."

There had been some speculation that there would be Welsh representation in Montgomerie's management structure, with Phillip Price tipped to have a role, and although that will now not be the case the captain is hopeful there will be a strong Welsh flavour.

He added: "A lot of deliberation was taken, we have Rhys Davies, 15th on the list and the top nine make it and we hope he does. We will have 40,000 Welsh people there and the honorary captain of Celtic Manor is Gareth Edwards, so we feel there will be Welsh representation at Celtic Manor."

Morale

Asked if his role was to keep up team morale, Clarke added: "All of us are part of that. The team spirit has been fantastic at past Ryder Cups and we want to generate as much of that as possible. We want a relaxed atmosphere in the team room and get the best out of the players.

"Because we've been there and done it before I think we are a strong team. I don't think there has been a backroom team as strong as this at any Ryder Cup."

McGinley said: "We're all very good friends, but the big thing is we have been involved in winning Ryder Cup teams, we know what works and it's important we take those principles and ideas into this Ryder Cup."