HUSH HOUR THREE
Our trio of rookies can silence partisan crowd and feed off it... says Sergio who made his debut in bearpit of Brookline
SERGIO GARCIA reckons Europe’s rampant rookies can silence Whistling Straits and maintain domination of the Ryder Cup.
The Spanish stalwart will savour a 10th match against the US after landing a wildcard pick Padraig Harrington. Ian Poulter also got the nod to add more experience to Garcia’s record points haul of 25.5.
But Harrington didn’t shy away from selecting Ryder Cup newbie Shane Lowry in his line-up. He’ll join Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and Viktor Hovland of Norway as debutants heading into the heat of Wisconsin’s partisan crowd.
Garcia has seen and done it all before. So has Poulter. And the likes of Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy. But the man who made his debut in the bearpit of Brookline in 1999 is backing the new regime to shine.
Garcia said: “I can speak for everyone that we are all thrilled with the three rookies we have on the team.
“First of all, I’m going to start with Bernd. Funny enough, he is one of my best friends on Tour, so I know a lot about him and we text each other.
“As soon as he made it, I texted him congratulating him because I know how much it meant. I’m really excited for him because he’s been very close for many years.
“I also get along very well with Shane. He’s been on tour for many years and he’s had a couple chances making the team before. He deserves it.
“He’s going to bring a lot. He’s been playing great and is a fun guy to be around. He’s going to match up nicely with some of the guys we have on the team.
“Viktor is probably the one I know the least but I’ve gotten to know him quite well in the last couple of years on the PGA Tour mainly. He’s a wonderful guy and a hell of a player. We
are extremely excited to have him on the team and he’s going to be a great asset to us.”
Ironically, while Harrington has a trio of new faces, his counterpart Steve Stricker is going to have double that after six made his line-up.
America are trying to halt a trend of nine losses in the past 12 matches and Garcia understands an approach to introduce unscarred talent.
He said: “I can see what they are trying to do. See that they need new energy in there. They need new experiences.
“It’s always a double-edged sword I guess. It’s nice to have a lot of rookies because you have a lot of energy but at the same time, there’s a lot of pressure you know they’re going to feel, even playing at home. It’s going to be interesting to see how they all react.
“Come Sunday night on the 26th, we’ll know how that worked for them. Hopefully it will work out better for us than it will work for them.
“We’ve had a great run but we still have some catching up to do and that’s a goal to try to tilt the balance to our favour when it comes to the overall score of the Ryder Cup.
“The American team is always super strong and this year is no different. For us to have a chance, we need to bond stronger than you can even imagine.”
Having played under nine captains including compatriot
Jose-Maria Olazabal, Garcia is now ready for Harrington to take Europe into battle. The pair have shared team rooms in the past and he said: “Padraig brings a lot of good things.
“Obviously, as we get to Whistling Straits and see what he has prepared with his team and how the week evolves, you get a better feel for it.
“But he’s going to bring a lot of energy and a lot of experience. A lot of excitement and a lot of knowledge. All those things are great to have and he’s been a part of it for many years.
“I’m excited to see all the amazing things they probably have prepared for us to make us feel as comfortable as possible and really, really enjoy what goes in and out of a Ryder Cup.”
Garcia will have wife Angela and some family in Wisconsin, but it’s going to mostly
Americans in the stands. But he said: “I look at it a couple different ways. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing better than having European fans. I don’t care what anyone says. “When we’re in the US we are always outnumbered. This year is going to be even more. You can look at it two ways as you can feed off your good moments and how you can quieten their crowds. “It’s important for everyone to know when the course is quiet, this is a good thing for Europe. “We have to make sure that all the guys and mostly the rookies can feed off that silence.”