Ryder Cup: Thomas Bjorn believes Sergio Garcia will be huge asset for Europe
By Keith Jackson
Last Updated: 05/09/18 3:32pm
Thomas Bjorn described Sergio Garcia as the "heartbeat of the team" after handing the Spaniard a Ryder Cup captain's pick for this month's showdown in Paris.
Garcia's hopes of making a ninth appearance in the competition looked doubtful after a wretched run of form this summer, the 38-year-old failing to make the cut in any of the four major championships while also going without a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour since March.
But European skipper Bjorn opted for experience with his quartet of wildcard picks as he added Garcia, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson to his eight automatic qualifiers, with Rafa Cabrera Bello and Matt Wallace just missing out.
Garcia's form has been widely questioned leading into the event, but Bjorn defended the choice and insisted the 2017 Masters champion will be a huge asset to the team both on and off the course at Le Golf National.
"You've got to look at Sergio in certain ways," said Bjorn, live on Sky Sports. "The one thing about Sergio is he's the heartbeat of the team. I've always said that about him. It's like a football team going without their captain, and that's what he is.
"People that have experienced Sergio in the team room and around the Ryder Cup team realise how much he brings to it. Not only is he a fantastic golfer and goes out on the golf course and does what he does in Ryder Cups and we've seen it time after time but what he also brings is that he makes everyone around him better.
"We talked about it a lot, what is great about a European Team room. Well, Sergio is what's great about the European team room. He is everything what the European Ryder Cup is about.
"Over the years, from when he set out with Jesper Parnevik in 1999, I've watched him as a player, I've watched him as a vice-captain, and there's just something about him, and I for one have so much belief that he's going to go to France and deliver as he normally does in the team, on the golf course, but as important, off the golf course.
"You need people that have been there and done it all and through it all positively and negatively, and Sergio is, for me, the one person that I really feel like I can trust with everything that we do that's Ryder Cup."
Casey will be making his first appearance in the contest since 2008 having rejoined the European Tour last year, and Bjorn is happy to have the Englishman back on board.
"With Paul's commitment to what he wants to do being back in the Ryder Cup team after 10 years, the conversations we had, he's really shown he missed this part of his life and he really wanted to get back," the Dane added.
"With a win earlier this year, he's really done well to get back in the game, and it really was a no-brainer for me to bring him back. He brings world-class golf to the team and he's a wonderful match player, as well. Great to have him back."
Poulter will win his sixth cap after narrowly missing out on automatic qualification following an excellent season, which included a thrilling win at the Houston Open the week before the Masters, while Stenson completed Bjorn's line-up as Europe look to extend their 25-year unbeaten home record in the Ryder Cup.
"When Ian won in Houston, I thought he was on the track to become part of this team," said Bjorn. "I met him at Augusta, and that's where he just said, 'Okay, I'm going to make this Ryder Cup team, and I'm going to be there and I'm going to do everything I can.'
"He normally hits the European badge that hard, and that's what he's always about doing it for the big stage. He is a man for the occasion and he really is just a special person that week.
"Both him and Sergio, sometimes you feel like they should have been footballers because they like that team sport so much, and that's what they bring to a Ryder Cup team."
Stenson has been hampered by an elbow injury since July, but Bjorn believes the veteran Swede will have no concerns in Paris as the 42-year-old makes his fifth appearance in the competition.
"Henrik had a pretty decent start to the season and he did well in the Masters and US Open and in the Masters," he added. "He was putting in good performances, but he ran into an injury just before The Open and we had long conversations.
"But Henrik's focus then changed from his personal achievement to be wanting to be ready for the Ryder Cup. As soon as we had those conversations and I knew where his focus was, I knew it wasn't a big problem for me to pick him.
"The stature that he brings, the calmness that he brings in the team room and the person he is, he's great at looking after some of the youngsters. He's just a very good guy to have around, and just a strong player."
