Woosnam: Boot on other foot for Bjorn
WHEN it comes to Ryder Cup wild cards, you’ll never please everybody. Ian Woosnam knows all about that, writes Nick Rodger.
When the little Welshman didn’t opt for Thomas Bjorn as one of his captain’s picks for the 2006 tussle at the K-Club in Ireland, Bjorn launched the kind of fearsome offensive you got at the tank battle of Kursk.
Withering barbs like “he is the most pathetic captain I have ever seen”, “a friend of mine he isn’t”, and “the man is barmy” flew in wild abundance as Woosnam spurned Bjorn in favour of Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke.
He couldn’t have been that barmy. Europe romped to a record-equalling 18 ½ - 9 ½ triumph, Westwood and Clarke were unbeaten over the three days and Woosie celebrated in torrents of Guinness.
“I didn’t have anything to make up for,” reflected the 60-year-old of that Bjorn spat. “He was the one who made the b ****** s, wasn’t he? When I walked in to that press room in Munich in 2006 [to announce his picks after the final event], I hadn’t actually made up my mind. I made up my mind when I was asked the question. And we got the result. One of the best results ever.”
The boot, of course, is on the other foot now and Bjorn is under the microscope as Europe’s captain for next week’s match with the USA in Paris.
The Dane opted for tried and trusted campaigners for his four wild cards with the inclusion of an out-ofform Sergio Garcia attracting intense scrutiny.
The omission of the likes of Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matt Fitzpatrick and Matt Wallace, who won three times on the tour in 2018, raised some eyebrows.
“Now he knows what the job is about,” added Woosnam. “It’s a difficult situation. But when you are a Ryder Cup player you should be happy to play with anyone. You go there as a team and you should play as a team.”