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Thomas Bjorn expected Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas to be paired at Ryder Cup

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Thomas Bjorn says the Jordan Spieth-Justin Thomas pairing worked for the US, after Patrick Reed criticised Spieth for not continuing to partner him

Thomas Bjorn says he fully expected Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas to be paired together during the Ryder Cup, and thinks US captain Jim Furyk had little other choice.

The pairing came in for criticism from Patrick Reed, who formed a successful partnership with Spieth in the 2014 and 2016 Ryder Cups.

Reed was instead paired with Tiger Woods in Paris, but Bjorn backed his counterpart Furyk's decision.

Asked whether he was surprised Reed and Spieth were not reunited, Bjorn told Sky Sports News: "Not really to be honest.

Thomas Bjorn and Sergio Garcia during singles matches of the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on September 30, 2018 in Paris, France.
Image: Thomas Bjorn led Europe to a 17.5-10.5 win over the US

"Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are childhood friends and they are very close. I had a high expectation of those two playing together throughout the whole week.

"Pairings are great when they work out, but it doesn't mean because they work in one Ryder Cup, they'll be great in the next Ryder Cup.

"I don't think Jim had much choice when you have two who get on so well together, and it seemed to work out."

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Bjorn enjoyed a hugely successful Ryder Cup, leading Europe to a comprehensive victory to regain the trophy, but he still had tough decisions to make - such as dropping Ryder Cup rookie and fellow Dane Thorbjorn Olesen after Friday's fourballs.

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Thomas Bjorn says dropping rookie and fellow countryman Thorbjorn Olesen was the toughest call he had to make as Ryder Cup captain

"I thought leaving Thorbjorn Olesen out on Saturday was probably the toughest decision for me," Bjorn said.

"He played alright on Friday and when you come in as a rookie you have a lot of expectation. He's a fellow countryman and a great friend of mine, so that was a decision that cut pretty deep with me.

"All credit to him for the way he stood up on Sunday and beat Jordan Spieth. It was a pretty emphatic victory. He reacted in the best possible way."

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