Check out the European Ryder Cup Team who will represent the continent in the 2014 Ryder Cup being played at Gleneagles at the end of September and lead by Paul McGinley
European Ryder Cup Team 2014
Name: Thomas Bjorn
Age: 43 Country: Denmark Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (’97, ’02) Record: W3 L2 H1 Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 6th on World Points List
Last Ryder Cup appearance was in ‘02 but brings a wealth of experience to the team after acting as vice-captain 3 times since. Victory in the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa at the end of ‘13 propelled him into contention, with his place confirmed by a fourth place finish on home soil in the inaugural Made in Denmark event in August.
Name: Jamie Donaldson
Age: 38 Country: Wales Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 0 Record: NA Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 4th on European Points List
Solidified his spot on the team in style by winning the penultimate counting event at the end of August, the Czech Masters, for his third career European Tour title. Other notable performances in ‘14 include a T2 in the Nedbank Challenge, a T2 in the WGC Cadillac Championship and a pair of T5’s in the French and BMW International Open’s.
Name: Victor Dubuisson
Age: 24 Country: France Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 0 Record: NA Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 3rd on European Points List
Won his maiden European Tour title in Turkey at the end of ’13, and followed that by finishing third in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai the following week. Confirmed his place on the team with a runner-up finish in the Accenture Match Play in February, producing some astonishing recovery shots in the final. An enigmatic character with previous experience having played in the ‘06 Junior Ryder Cup.
Name: Stephen Gallacher
Age: 39 Country: Scotland Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 0 Record: NA Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: Captain’s Pick
Nephew of former European Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher, Stephen missed out on automatic qualification by 1 stroke in the final qualifying event where he finished third in the Italian Open. Has enjoyed a terrific season featuring eight top-10 finishes, highlighted by winning the prestigious Dubai Desert Classic back in February and more recently, finishing T4 at the Scottish Open
Name: Sergio Garcia
Age: 34 Country: Spain Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 6 (’99, ’02, ’04, ’06, ’08, ’12) Record: W16 L8 H4 Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 3rd on World Points List
A talismanic figure for Europe, having played in the Ryder Cup on six previous occasions, as well as being selected as a vice-captain in ‘10 by Montgomerie at Celtic Manor. Has turned his notoriously weak putting into a strength of late, winning the Qatar Masters back in January, and more recently finishing second to Rory McIlroy at both The Open Championship at Hoylake and the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.
Name: Martin Kaymer
Age: 29 Country: Germany Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (‘10, ’12) Record: W3 L2 H1 Major Championship Wins: 2 2014 Qualification: 5th on World Points List
Clinched the Ryder Cup for Europe in ‘12 at Medinah, defeating Steve Stricker on the 18th green in the Sunday singles. Had wire-to-wire victories in both the Players Championship and US Open in ‘14, equaling the lowest halfway total in major championship history with consecutive rounds of 65 on the No. 2 course at Pinehurst.
Name: Graeme McDowell
Age: 35 Country: Northern Ireland Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 3 (’08, ‘10, ’12) Record: W5 L5 H2 Major Championship Wins: 1 2014 Qualification: 9th on World Points List
Clinched the final automatic qualifying place on the World Points List by 1.61 points after taking several weeks off for the birth of his first child. Led Europe to victory with the winning point in the final singles match at Celtic Manor in ’10 against Hunter Mahan, three months after winning the US Open at Pebble Beach. His ‘14 season was highlighted by a victory at the French Open, as well as top-10 finishes in three World Golf Championship events, The Open Championship and the Irish Open.
Name: Rory McIlroy
Age: 25 Country: Northern Ireland Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (‘10, ’12) Record: W4 L3 H2 Major Championship Wins: 4 2014 Qualification: 1st on European Points List
McIlroy finished atop both qualifying lists thanks to a brilliant season that saw him win multiple times on both sides of the Atlantic. Starting with the BMW PGA Championship back in May, Rory then recorded three victories in successive starts at the Open Championship, the WGC Bridgestone Invitational and the US PGA Championship. Played a key role in Europe’s victory in ‘12 where he partnered successfully with McDowell and Poulter, as well as beating the then in-form Keegan Bradley in the singles despite only arriving at the course with minutes to spare.
Name: Ian Poulter
Age: 38 Country: England Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 4 (’04, ’08, ’10, ’12) Record: W12 L3 H0 Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: Captain’s Pick
Owns a formidable Ryder Cup record, having won 12 points from a possible 15, including being unbeaten in ’12 at Medinah. Had a strong end to ’13, finishing runner-up in the WGC HSBC Champions in China and then going on to finish T5 in the China Open in April. Also made the cut in 3 of 4 majors this year, with a T20 at the Masters and a T17 at the US Open.
Name: Justin Rose
Age: 34 Country: England Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (‘08, ’12) Record: W6 L3 H0 Major Championship Wins: 1 2014 Qualification: 4th on World Points List
Won back-to-back titles at the Quicken Loans National and the Scottish Open earlier this season to cement his position on the team. Played all five matches in ’12 at Medinah, including two birdies in the final two holes to beat Phil Mickelson in the singles. Claimed his first major title in ’13 winning the US Open at Merion.
Name: Henrik Stenson
Age: 38 Country: Sweden Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (‘06, ’08) Record: W2 L3 H2 Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: 2nd on European Points List
All but sealed his place back in November last year with a win at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, to becoming the first player to win both the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in the same season. Has not managed to maintain that level of play this year, but had a good showing in the majors, finishing fourth in the US Open and third in the US PGA Championship. Played in Europe’s record-equaling victory in ’06, as well as Europe's last defeat in ’08.
Name: Lee Westwood
Age: 41 Country: England Previous Ryder Cup Appearances: 8 (’97, ’99, ’02, ’04, ’06, ’08, ’10, ’12) Record: W18 L13 H6 Major Championship Wins: 0 2014 Qualification: Captain’s Pick
A veteran of the Ryder Cup, making his ninth appearance for Europe in ’14. He followed a seventh place finish at the Masters with a win at the Malaysian Open the following week. Other notable performances this season include a T6 at The Players Championship in May and a T15 at the PGA Championship last month.
Captain
Name Paul McGinley
Age: 47 Country: Ireland Ryder Cup Appearances: 3 (’02, ’04, '06) Record: W2 L2 H5 Major Championship Wins: 0
As a three-time player and two-time vice captain for Team Europe, McGinley brings a wealth of Ryder Cup experience to Gleneagles in 2014. Having never been part of a losing team as a player, McGinley will be the first Irishman to captain Europe. His career highlight is undoubtedly the putt he holed on the final green at The Belfry in 2002 to halve his singles match with Jim Furyk and win the cup for Europe. A four-time winner on the European Tour, McGinley also has previous experience as a captain, leading GB&I to victory in the Seve Trophy in 2009 and 2011.
Vice Captain
Name: Des Smyth
Age: 51 Country: Ireland Ryder Cup Appearances: 2 (’79, ’81) Record: W2 L5 H0 Major Championship Wins: 0
A two-time player and two-time vice captain in the Ryder Cup, Smyth brings a wealth of experience to Team Europe, having played in over 500 European tour events in his playing days. Was the oldest winner in European Tour history up until November '12, when he won the '01 Madeira Island Open, aged 48 years and 34 days. He is also one of only two players to win an event in each of the first four decades of the European Tour, the other being Mark McNulty.
Vice Captain Name: Sam Torrance
Age: 50 Country: England Ryder Cup Appearances: 8 (’81, ’83, ’85, ’87, ’89, ’91, ’93, ‘95) Record: W7 L15 H6 Major Championship Wins: 0
Having been involved in 10 Ryder Cups over the course if his career, there’s not much Torrance doesn’t know when it comes to this biennial team event. He captained Europe to victory at The Belfry in '02, and as a player, was part of the first European team to win on American soil in '87 at Muirfield Village. Holds multiple European Tour records, including the most number of official events played in (706), as well as the biggest gap between first and latest victories (22 years and 44 days).
Vice Captain Name: José Maria Olazábal
Age: 48 Country: Spain Ryder Cup Appearances: 7 (’87, ’89, ’91, ’93, ’97, ’99, ‘06) Record: W18 L8 H5 Major Championship Wins: 2
The mastermind behind the Miracle at Medinah in '12, Olazábal is a European Ryder Cup legend and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in '09. He played in seven Ryder Cup’s between '87 and '06 and formed a famous partnership with fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteroes. As well as his captaincy in '12, José has also been a vice captain on 2 previous occasions.
Vice Captain Name: Padraig Harrington
Age: 43 Country: Ireland Ryder Cup Appearances: 6 (’99, ’02, ’04, ’06, ’08, ‘10) Record: W9 L13 H3 Major Championship Wins: 3
Still very much a competitive player on the European and PGA Tour’s, Padraig is a 3-time major champion and 6-time Ryder Cup player. This will be the first time he’s been involved in a non-playing capacity, having not played in a Ryder Cup since ’10. Harrington’s other team experience includes 3 Walker Cup’s (’91, ’93, ’95) and 4 Seve Trophies (’00, ’02, ’03, ’05).
Vice Captain Name: Miguel Angel Jiménez
Age: 50 Country: Spain Ryder Cup Appearances: 4 (’99, ’04, ’08, ‘10) Record: W4 L8 H3 Major Championship Wins: 0
“The Mechanic” also still competes on the main tours, most recently winning the Open De Espana in May of this year. He was a vice-captain in 2012 at Medinah, and was also a Europe’s playing captain in the 2014 EurAsia Cup. Miguel has further team experience, having played in 8 Seve Trophies and 1 Royal Trophy, along with his 4 Ryder Cup appearances.
