Golf: Captain Ollie ready for Ryder Cup
The 46-year-old insists that his approach will be different.
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 22nd, 2012.
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 22nd, 2012.