The Spaniard, famous for his captaincy in 2012 at Medinah, returns to the European team setup this year in Rome
European Ryder Cup team captain Luke Donald has named Jose Maria Olazabal as his fourth Vice Captain.
Olazabal was famously the winning skipper in 2012 Ryder Cup, when Europe fought back from 10-6 down on the final day to win at Medinah.
The Spaniard joins Thomas Bjorn, Edoardo Molinari and Nicolas Colsaerts for the Europe vs USA clash at Marco Simone, in Rome, at the end of September.
“With my previous experiences in the Ryder Cup I am obviously thrilled to be back involved once again. I am really looking forward to feeling that special adrenaline flow, the intensity and the electricity that only the Ryder Cup can bring – I’m really excited to be part of it all again,” Olazabal said.
“It was a very nice surprise to be asked by Luke. I didn’t expect it but I was delighted when the call came. My role will be the same as the rest of the Vice Captains, namely to support and help Luke and the 12 players in any way we can, so they can perform at their best and be able to win that trophy back.
“I have no doubts that Luke will be a great Captain. He has played in the Ryder Cup four times and won four times and he therefore knows what is required to perform well in the match.
“He is great on detail and how important things like team spirit are. On top of all of that, he is still very much a competitive player playing at a high level. Because of that, he is close to the players and he knows what they will need to perform to their best. My job as Vice-Captain will be to help him achieve that.”
Olazabal featured seven times in the Ryder Cup as a player, with Europe winning three times. He tallied an impressive 20.5 points over those seven appearances.
His partnership with compatriot Seve Ballesteros is the greatest in Ryder Cup history, with the pair scoring 12 points in their 15 matches. No other pair has more than six points.
He has also been a Vice Captain on three previous occasions. Olazabal was part of the European backroom team in 2008 under Sir Nick Faldo, 2010 under Colin Montgomerie, and 2014 under Paul McGinley.
Donald, who played under Olazabal’s captaincy in 2012, said: “When you think of José María Olázabal, you immediately think of the Ryder Cup. He brings amazing passion and I couldn’t be more excited to have him on board.
“He was my Captain when I last played in the Ryder Cup – at Medinah in 2012 – and I thoroughly enjoyed playing for him that year. He picked me to play number one in the singles and that was hugely gratifying.
“To know he had that respect and confidence in me to go out and lead Europe in such a pressurised last day environment meant a lot and this feels, perhaps, that I am returning that favour a little bit, as I have a huge amount of confidence in him.
“Just his mere presence brings energy to any Ryder Cup environment and I saw that first hand when I asked him to be involved in the Hero Cup we staged in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of this year.
“He was such a big part of that week, being with the players and sharing stories with them of just what the Ryder Cup is all about.
“People notice when José María walks into a room and you could see at the Hero Cup how much everyone respected him and admired him for all he’s done in the game. I could not be more excited to have him on my team.”
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