Europe’s captain Thomas Bjorn is hoping for a Brexit-proof Ryder Cup
Every generation of European stars, from Seve Ballesteros to Colin Montgomerie, Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy, have donned the blue and gold colors and proudly performed the “Ode to Joy” – the EU’s official anthem – at the opening and closing ceremonies Let honors sound.
But doesn’t it all seem a little old-fashioned – or even embarrassing – after Brexit?
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The British people voted to leave the EU in a historic referendum in 2016, and Brussels officials predict the exit process will be completed by the end of 2020.
The European Tour has stressed from the outset that Brexit will have no impact on the Ryder Cup, either in terms of qualification, format or team colors.
Europe’s 2018 captain Thomas Bjorn reiterated this view when speaking to CNN Living Golf’s Shane O’Donoghue.
The 46-year-old Dane admits that it is not his job to discuss the inside and outside of European politics, but he believes his team will compete in France next September with the same spirit as the teams that came before were there for him.
“Being in this team room and this environment, I think represents everything that Europe is,” says Björn, who won three Ryder Cups as a player and was vice-captain four times.
“The European players come together in this team, they are best friends across borders and represent Europe as a continent in the best possible way.
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“This is something very special for a Ryder Cup team. We play under the European flag, but we play for Europe as a continent.”
However, the European flair of the Ryder Cup has not always existed. Launched in 1927, the tournament was originally intended only for British and American players.
But after a period of American dominance – they won 16 of the first 19 editions – Irish players were also invited to join the British from 1973 and in 1979 the tournament was opened to continental Europe.
However, British players still make up the majority of the European team. At the last tournament in Hazeltine, Minnesota, in 2016, seven of the 12 players were British and the captain was also British, Darren Clarke.
The European Tour stresses that the United Kingdom’s separation from the European Union will have no impact on the eligibility of British players as “the criterion for being a European for the purposes of the Ryder Cup is geographical and not political or economic.”
Tour officials also plan to continue using the EU flag, which they describe as an “overarching symbol of Europe as a whole.”
One of Britain’s top stars, Rory McIlroy, made his opinion on Brexit – and President Trump – clear when he tweeted in June 2016: “With Brexit and the way the race for the US presidency is going running… can we mulligan on 2016?”
A “mulligan” is an informal second chance to play a golf shot after making a mistake.
At the same time, Björn himself reacted negatively to the referendum result on his Twitter account with the words: “Boris as Prime Minister, Donald as President. This is a SPECIAL relationship!!! #not confident.”
Eighteen months later, however, with his captain’s hat on his head, Björn is taking a more diplomatic approach to Brexit.
“Whatever political things are going on in the world and people are making decisions that they think are right, it is not our place to comment on that and take part in it,” says Björn, who is named after Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Bernhard Langer is only the fourth man from outside the British Isles to lead Europe as captain.
“In my opinion this is the greatest continent in the world and a place I call home and myself and these 12 players will be very proud to represent every single person in Europe during the week.”
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European golf fans will certainly be hoping their Ryder Cup team remains “Brexit-proof” as it has won 11 of the 19 tournaments since Britain and Europe joined forces in ’79.
However, the last tournament was won by a strong American team – Jordan Spieth and Co. inflicted a resounding 17-11 defeat on Clarke’s men – and it looks as if Bjorn’s Europe will have to be more united than ever when it comes to the Ryder Cup want to win back.
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Those: edition.cnn.com
2023-12-25 01:42:47
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