Golf: Captain Ollie ready for Ryder Cup

PARIS: Jose Maria Olazabal says he is no Seve, but he believes he has the firepower to emulate his great friend and countryman and lead a successful European defence of the Ryder Cup at Medinah.

After almost single-handedly reviving the biennial competition in the 1980s with his flair and fierce determination, Seve Ballesteros was omni-present on home Spanish turf at Valderrama in 1997 when he captained another European victory. Now, 16 months after Ballesteros died from a brain tumour, it is his turn to lead from the front, but this time on foreign soil.

The 46-year-old insists that his approach will be different. “It’s very difficult to compare to Seve,” he said. “He was very close to the players, sometimes a little too close, trying to hit the shots. I’m not going to go that far.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2012.