José Mari Olazábal has accepted the invitation extended by the Tournament Committee of the European Tour, and ratified by the Ryder Cup Players Committee, and will be the captain of the next edition to be held from September 28 to 30 at Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois, in the United States.
Olazábal, born in Fuenterrabía on February 5, 1966, becomes the 23rd captain of the European Team and the second Spaniard after Seve Ballesteros, who won in 1997 at Valderrama Golf Club by 14 ½ – 13 ½.
Olazábal has participated in seven editions of the Ryder Cup, making his debut in 1987 when Europe made history by winning for the first time on American soil; he was also part of the victorious team in 1997 and 2006, expanding his career over 19 years. Olazábal and Ballesteros formed the best and most successful pair in the history of the Ryder Cup in Fourballs and Foursomes, and together they achieved 11 victories and tied two matches out of the 15 they played. With 18 wins and 20½ points, Olazábal ranks fifth among Europeans.
Following Europe’s 14 ½ – 13 ½ win at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales, Olazábal takes over from Colin Montgomerie as captain with the sole objective of winning the Ryder Cup again, which Europe has won eight times to seven at the hands of the Americans, plus one tie, since the inclusion of continental players in 1979.
Europe’s victories came in 1985 and 1987 with Tony Jacklin as captain, in 1995 with Bernard Gallacher, with Seve Ballesteros in 1997, under Sam Torrance in 2002, with Bernhard Langer in 2004, Ian Woosnam in 2006 and Colin Montgomerie in 2010. The team tied in 1989 under Jacklin.
José Mari Olazábal: “The two Masters at Augusta have been the most important achievements of my career but this is the moment I am most proud of. Golf has been my life, and representing Europe in the Ryder Cup has meant a lot to me. The appointment as captain of the European Team is something very special and I am very excited about it.
Without any doubt, the Ryder Cup has provided me with some of the most memorable moments of my career, especially playing alongside Seve, since we were paired together in ’87 and Europe won in America for the first time. We went undefeated in 1989 and 1991, and won our last match together in 1993.
Seve was our captain at Valderrama in 1997; that was a particularly special edition as it was played in Spain and for the first time on the Continent, and of course we won it. I have played under five captains – Tony Jacklin, Bernard Gallacher, Mark James, Ian Woosnam and Seve – and I will never forget the last one I played in 2006 with Woosie because we beat them by 18 ½ – 9½. Sergio (Garcia) and I won two Fourballs and I also beat Phil Mickelson in the singles, my last Ryder Cup match.
Being vice-captain with Nick Faldo in 2008 was a wonderful experience, which I then repeated with Colin Montgomerie in the last edition at Celtic Manor. Everything I have learned over the years, together with my personal experiences, I will try to pass on to the team with the aim of winning the Cup. We all know that the Ryder Cup is one of the most attractive and important competitions on the calendar, which inspires players and the public, but there is no feeling comparable to lifting the trophy at the end of the week.
I have spent a lot of time in America, where the public has always treated me very well. We want to win the Ryder, that will be our priority, although I know that the American team will share with us the desire to have the Ryder Cup in the tradition of fair play and sportsmanship, its essential ingredients.
I have accepted the captaincy but, as you all know, I keep my desire to play intact. This is the first of four Emirates tournaments I will be participating in, I am looking forward to competing and I would like to give myself a chance to win again.
I want to emphasize that it is a great honor for me to be the Captain of the European Ryder Cup Team and from today I am committed to work to ensure that everything goes well in preparation for the next edition in 2012.”
Olazábal won the Augusta Masters in 1994 and 1999, the latter after recovering from rheumatoid arthritis that kept him out of competition for several months. He started playing golf at the Real Club de Golf de San Sebastián, where his parents, Gaspar and Julia, worked. It was there at the club where he met Sergio Gómez, his manager, right-hand man and friend for many years.
At the age of seven Olazábal won the Spanish Junior Championship. Jesús Arruti, the club professional who spent marathon sessions with Olazábal at the driving range, and Sergio Gómez, guided him during his meteoric amateur career in which he achieved, among a fantastic list of achievements, the three British Championships: British Boys’ Championship, British Amateur Championship and British Youths’ Championship. He was Spanish Amateur Champion in 1983 and 1984; Italian Amateur Champion in 1983 and Belgian Junior International in 1984.
He turned professional in 1985, the year in which he led from start to finish the Qualifying School at La Manga Club. In his first season on the European Tour in 1986 he finished second in the rankings behind Ballesteros, and was named Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year thanks to his two victories and a stroke average of 70.69.
Olazábal has won 23 titles on the European Tour and boasts 30 international victories; he is the second Spaniard to be inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in November 2009 during a very emotional ceremony, following in the footsteps of his great friend Seve Ballesteros in 1999.
Medinah Country Club’s Number 3 Championship Course, in Chicago, has hosted the US Open in 1949, 1975 and 1990 (Olazábal finished tied eighth), and the US PGA Championship in 1999 and 2006. It has also hosted the US Senior Open. The course, designed by Scotsman Tom Bendelow and inaugurated in 1928, runs through an oak forest in very undulating terrain. Rees Jones modified the project after the US PGA in 1999.
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