... America

1961-1975

Billycasper

1961-1973

Arnoldpalmer

Philmickelson cares about the Ryder Cup and how proud he is to be European and to be Spanish and to really be a part of this.

“I wasn’t quite as vocal in my first Ryder Cup as he’s been, but I wasn’t as good a player in my first Ryder Cup as he is. So I’m expecting some great things from Jon this week and, if we do play together at some point, that would be something I’d really look forward to.”

At 23, Rahm is the youngest member of this European team by two

remember. But that only got me all square. So my funny reaction of waddling up there and not really going crazy was because I knew that I was only all square. I had to go to 18 and win the hole. I remember consciously walking as slowly as I could to get the ball out of the hole, get to the 18 tee and then continue to play 18 well.

“So, that putt on 17 means nothing if I lose 18, and I was very conscious of that at the time. The putt I was most proud of was 18 to finish it off, and that’s not necessarily remembered

Lannywadkins

Leetrevino years. That fire in his belly has seen him get over-excited at times since he burst onto the scene over the past couple of years. He knows that himself and, therefore, expects to have someone almost as a chaperone when the gun goes off.

“If I were to play with Rory, we’ve played a lot together, I think we know each other’s game very well and we have a very similar game plan in mind,” he said. “I think the one thing that you can say about both of us is

or talked about it. But, as a player, the one on 18, that’s the one that counts.”

Two years after that match, Rose was top-scorer as he led Paul Mcginley’s team to a 16½-11½ success at Gleneagles. He now heads into this week’s encounter as the newly-crowned Fexex Cup champion, having held his nerve to birdie the final hole in Atlanta on Sunday to pick up a $10 million prize. “The team have had fun,” he said of that that we are both fearless. We really complement each other very well.

“I think I will be paired with an experienced player. They are not going to put two rookies up on Friday morning. So I will be playing with somebody who can most likely keep me under control on a Friday morning. I feel like I’m going to have electricity coming out of me, so you can imagine I might tee off with somebody who is a little more calm than me, which is not hard to do.”

windfall. “Apparently, all the drinks are on my tab this week!”

Thomas Bjorn, the European captain, admitted he had identified Rose for an “internal role” this week but wasn’t prepared to divulge exactly what that was. The man himself is keen to keep letting his clubs do the talking rather than trying to be inspirational to his team-mates through whatever he might be able to offer vocally.

“I haven’t tried to be anything that I’m not,” admitted Rose when asked how his role has changed in the team room over the years. “I feel like if I want to say something, I’ll say something. I think it’s really important to be who I am, and that’s going to be the guy that’s hopefully going to deliver some points. That’s what talks the most is earning points, leading by example rather than talk.

“That’s what Thomas has encouraged me to do. He’s encouraged me to be myself, and that’s why he’s been

such a fantastic captain so far. He trusted all my decision-making to get here and be ready to play and ready to earn points. That extends to the week and to the team room. Just be natural and be yourself.

“Sure, my confidence through the years has probably grown. I’ve been able to play well in Ryder Cups, and if I can share experiences that are going to be helpful and meaningful to other players, of course I’m going to do that, but I’m not going to try and be anything that I’m not.”