BJORN V FURYK
This year’s Ryder Cup captains are contrasting characters but both are fuelled by a deep desire for success, writes Daniel Zeqiri
Playing prowess
A trailblazer for Danish golf with three Ryder Cup appearances and 14 European Tour titles, the first of which came at Loch Lomond in 1996. Thomas Bjorn’s impeccable short game and textbook pitching action were his greatest strengths, but a combustible temperament lay beneath the surface.
A garlanded career was pockmarked by some gutwrenching disappointments, notably the 2003 Open at Royal St George’s when Bjorn’s hopes of a first major were buried in a pot bunker at the 16th where he made a double-bogey. The Dane walked off after six holes of the 2004 European Open, in a state of mental anguish. At the same event 12 months later, Bjorn started Sunday four clear but collapsed to a 14-over round of 86. Emerging from those suggests resilience.
Man-management style
The phrase you are likely to hear about Bjorn this week is “players’ captain”. At 47, he has seniority but is young enough to have shared many a laugh, prank or beverage with most of his charges during two decades on the Tour. His selection of captain’s pick Sergio Garcia – “I also know what Sergio brings off the course” – implies team spirit is a priority for Bjorn, with the man as well as the golfer considered when making his decisions.
If successful, Bjorn will be praised for fostering a chemistry America are frequently accused of lacking. Should things go wrong, Bjorn will be criticised for playing it safe and treating Ryder Cup selection as an old mates’ network.
A lifelong Liverpool fan, Bjorn has also hinted he might look to Jurgen Klopp and Steven Gerrard for inspiration – possibly in the form of a video message.
PR skills
Bjorn’s diplomacy has improved markedly since he was overlooked for a captain’s pick in 2006 and branded Ian Woosnam’s leadership “the most pathetic that I’ve seen”. The build-up to Paris has passed without any gaffes. Bjorn has been magnanimous towards the returning Tiger Woods – playing in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2012 – describing his presence in France as “phenomenal” for the event.
He gave the public a glimpse of his mischievous sense of humour when he doorstepped six-handicap amateur golfer Stephen Atkinson, who sent Bjorn a tongue-in-cheek letter ruling himself out of Ryder Cup selection.
Most likely to say
“The most important thing is to get some blue on the board early and hole more putts than the Americans.”
Least likely to say
“Sergio is disappointed to finish the week pointless, but you should have seen how good he was in the team room.”
Playing prowess
Known as much for his idiosyncratic swing, with more re-routes than Southern Rail on a Sunday, than any individual triumph. Unlike his opposite number, Jim Furyk is a major champion, having won the 2003 US Open. A relentlessly consistent ball-striker and straight driver, Furyk contended in numerous other majors and won 17 times on the PGA Tour as well as scooping the 2010 Fedex Cup and its
$10 million (£7.6 million) prize.
Resisted the temptation to iron out the kinks in his unusual action, which was once described by commentator David Feherty as resembling “an octopus falling out of a tree”. Furyk only ever had one coach, his father Mike, who decided his son should persist with what feels natural. Good decision.
Man-management style
Furyk was a methodical dissector of golf courses he could not over-power, and will approach Ryder Cup captaincy with the same analytical eye and strategic nous.
American set up a designated Ryder Cup “task force” after their 2014 loss to address their perceived failings. One of the suggestions was the re-introduction of the “pod system” in which the 12-man team is split into three smaller units of four. The system was successfully introduced by Paul Azinger in 2008, and revived by Davis Love III in America’s triumph at Hazeltine two years ago. Furyk will operate using the same structure, which enables players with alike games and personalities to gel.
Managing the frosty relationships and inflated egos in the team-room was once the preoccupation for every US captain, but the new “Frat House” generation led by Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler seem a tighter bunch.
PR skills
Furyk never gave a hoot about looking the part during his career, and you will not find him playing up to the cameras as a Ryder Cup captain. “If I cheerlead, guys will look at me like I’m crazy,” he said.
Picking Phil Mickelson and Woods were open goals, while Furyk had no choice but to select the unconventional Bryson Dechambeau after he won consecutive Fedex Cup play-offs.
Furyk will lead with his head rather than his gut, so there are unlikely to be many rabble-rousing speeches. America might even try to steal Europe’s underdog status.
Most likely to say
“We’ve just got to trust the process and try and build momentum tomorrow morning. The slow greens – it is what it is.”
Least likely to say
“After much deliberation we decided it best to stand Tiger down for this afternoon’s fourballs. He
took it well.”