Some of golf’s most renowned names are set to tee it up on the Old Course when Europe’s only Senior Major returns to the famed Berkshire venue. Sunningdale will host the ISPS HANDA Senior Open for the fourth time in its history, following on from 2009, 2015 and 2021.

The trio join defending champion K.J. Choi, record 12-time Senior Major Champion Bernhard Langer, Major Champions Pádraig Harrington and Ernie Els and European legends Colin Montgomerie and Thomas Bjørn in what promises to be a star-studded field.

Darren Clarke understandably was smiling after becoming just the fourth golfer to win the Open and Senior Open as he wins the Senior Open at Gleneagles. Mark Runnacles

In 2022, Clarke became the fourth player to win both The Open and The Senior Open when he triumphed at Gleneagles, finishing one stroke ahead of Pádraig Harrington. Clarke won The Claret Jug at Royal St George’s in 2011, becoming the first Northern Irish winner of The Open in more than 60 years.

The 56-year-old finished third the last time the Senior Open was held at Sunningdale, just two strokes behind eventual winner Stephen Dodd.

“I’m very proud to have won both The Open and The Senior Open and I’m very much looking forward to going back to Sunningdale this Summer,” said Clarke. “It’s fantastic that the Senior Open gives us the opportunity to play on a number of the best courses in the country and the Old Course at Sunningdale is certainly a worthy test.”

Miguel Angel Jimenéz lifted the trophy in 2018.

Jiménez claimed The Senior Open trophy in style in 2018 as he triumphed on the Old Course at St Andrews. It was his second Senior Major Championship and earlier this month he won his 16th title on PGA TOUR Champions at the Principal Charity Classic. He was runner-up to Dodd four years ago at Sunningdale.

“The Senior Open is a very special event to me and I’m so proud to call myself a winner of the Championship,” said Jiménez. “I’ve been wanting to go back to Sunningdale since my runner-up finish there a few years ago and I’m hopeful I can go one better in a few weeks’ time.”

José María Olazábal captured the Masters on two occasions.

Olázabal, who won the Masters Tournament in 1994 and 1999, will be making his eighth appearance at The Senior Open. The Spaniard formed a formidable Ryder Cup partnership with the legendary Seve Ballesteros as they returned 12 points from 15 matches together across four editions. He went on to captain Europe in 2012 as he masterminded the Miracle at Medinah, seeing his side overturn a four-point deficit on the final day to win 14½ – 13½.

“I’m excited to return to Sunningdale next month,” said Olazábal. “The Senior Open is a great event and one which we all look forward to playing in.”

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If you were to head 3000 miles east from Abu Dhabi into Europe, one of the most gruelling weeks in professional golf is rearing its head once again.

The six-round marathon, that is final stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School.

The sun has risen on six potentially life-changing days of golf at @infinitumresort

Welcome to round one of Final Stage.#DPWTQSchool pic.twitter.com/B49CvK3HlS

— DP World Tour Q-School (@DPWTQSchool) November 8, 2024

With the likes of DP World Tour stalwarts in Stephen Gallacher, Oliver Wilson, Chris Wood and Edoardo Molinari being joined by fellow multiple DP World Tour winners in Eddie Pepperell, James Morrison, Renato Paratore, David Horsey, Justin Harding, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, Marc Warren, George Coetzee, Lee Slattery and Tom Lewis all who are fighting to regain their playing rights on tour.

A week where if you need to keep a cool head in pressure situations, this is it.

Tommy Fleetwood returns to Challenge Tour to caddy for stepson Oscar in Abu Dhabi

One rookie in the field this week, need look no further for help, as he is keeping it within the family by having own uncle stepping in as looper. Who has a pretty tidy playing resume himself, having won the Masters in 1994 and 1999 while also being on multiple winning European Teams in the Ryder Cup and a successful tenure as Captain in 2012 at Medinah.

Joseba Torres is the nephew of José María Olazábal, and the former Spanish Under-16 champion has his world-renowned uncle on the bag.

The Nova Southeastern University graduate, is more than happy to lean on the experience of his uncle, who has been supporting him since he first picked up a club as a child and this week will be carrying a full set of them for his nephew in Spain.

“Luckily enough I have a good caddie with me here this week,” Joseba said. “I’m very lucky to have my uncle José María Olazábal on the bag.

“I’ve practised with him a lot and to have him on the bag with his experience and his knowledge, I’m very lucky.

José María Olazábal

“The knowledge he has of how to play the shot, what to do in a certain situation – all the stuff that when you’re playing by yourself you don’t really deal with very well. With him it’s so easy because he tells you exactly what you need to do.

“He has been with me since I started playing golf when I was three years old.

“Obviously in a tournament it is different but he has always been with me and he knows what I’m more comfortable with and not. He really knows my game.

“Whatever he says I say yes, let’s go and do it because I really trust him. I know he isn’t going to say anything that I don’t need to do so I really trust what he says.”

Luke Donald and Jose Maria Olazabal. 2012 Ryder Cup

Olazábal knows the grind of Qualifying School all too well himself, having won the tournament in 1985 and then the following year picking up the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award after finishing second on the then European Tour’s Order of Merit.

Having already made his way successfully through the first two stages of Qualifying School this year, Joseba now faces six gruelling rounds ahead of him, where alongside 155 other players, he will play two rounds over INFINITUM’s Lakes and Hills courses before a 72-hole cut is made.

The final two rounds will then see the remaining players battle it out to finish in the top 20, with the top 20 and ties earning playing privileges on the DP World Tour for next season.

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The tournament is being financially supported and promoted by the European Tour Group with JGolf, the long-term promoters of two European Challenge Tour events, staging the 2024 European Legends Cup in Andalucía.

Golf Almerimar

Golf Almerimar is a 27-hole golf resort designed by nine-time Major winner Gary Player and opens its doors for the first time to an international tournament by hosting the European Legends Cup, a tournament that will bring together 60 Legends Tour stars on the Almeria coast.

Keith Waters, Chief Operations Officer of the European Tour Group, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Legends Tour in the formation of the European Legends Cup as we look to increase playing opportunities for Legends Tour members.

“The European Tour Group continues to work closely with Ryan Howsam and the Legends Tour team as part of our joint venture, already supporting a successful return to Greece for the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy earlier this year, and we are looking forward to visiting the wonderful Golf Almerimar in September.

“Our thanks must also go to JGolf, who we have worked closely with on several events for a number of years, for providing their expertise and delivering the European Legends Cup on the ground in Almeria.”

Luis Escorial Ayuso, President of Golf Almerimar, said: “We are very happy with the celebration of this tournament, it is the first time we will organise a competition at this level and the whole team is working hard to present the course and the facilities to the standard these players deserve. We have been waiting a long time for the occasion to welcome elite golfers and, finally, it has arrived.”

Phil Harrison, CEO of the Legends Tour, said: “We are proud to have another event on Spanish soil and to add such an iconic name as José’s to the field in his homeland. It has been a pleasure to work with and have the support of the European Tour Group to put on this tournament. JGolf have great experience in staging tournaments and we are excited to have what promises to be a fantastic event on a great golf course.”

European golfing legend Olazábal has already confirmed his participation in the European Legends Cup and is excited to tee it up in his home country.

“It is fantastic to have the opportunity to play more tournaments in Spain again,” he said. “In the ‘old days’ on the DP World Tour, sometimes there were as many as eight tournaments in one season. The players loved coming to compete in Spain for so many reasons, the great golf courses, the beautiful climate and, of course, for the gastronomy.

“I am so happy to come to Almerimar to play the European Legends Cup. I have heard many comments about the golf course and I am sure that Gary Player has created an amazing design. There will be a great field of players from the Legends Tour and it is always fun to come together with so many friends I have been competing with for such a long time and, as ever, the competition will be very tough and I will need to perform at my best. It is going to be an exciting tournament and I am looking forward very much to playing at Almerimar.”

The 27-hole resort weaves around lakes and palm trees with wide fairway yet demanding greens, providing a test of accuracy.

It is positioned within one of the most outstanding resorts in Andalucía, with the five star Hotel Golf Almerimar and the four star Hotel AR Almerimar, along with a marina with capacity for 1,100 boats up to 60 metres in length.

The Punta Entinas Natural Park is only 5 km away, the Cabo de Gata Natural Park is less than an hour away and with  more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year and an average annual temperature that does not drop below 20ºC, Golf Almerimar ideal for playing golf all year round.

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Ahead of the 2024 Masters, defending champion Jon Rahm wrote an ode to one of his idols, Jose Maria Olazabal, in this year’s Masters journal. Olazabal collected two green jackets: The first in 1994, the second in 1999. Two wins that were hugely influential on Rahm and the golfing culture in Spain he grew up within.

When Rahm rose to become a Masters contender—and future champion—himself. And when he did, he’d spend his practice rounds picking the brain of Olazabal. It was during those exchanges that Rahm said he learned the most valuable piece of advice from Olazabal, as he writes in the Masters Journal:

The biggest thing I’ve learned from him was when he told me in 2017 ‘Jon more often than not, the low shot is the better outcome.’ He told me that Augusta National was meant to be played like a links golf course, and that is how he played it during his two wins.”

It’s not often you’ll see a links course look as green and lush as what you’ll see at the Masters, but look closely in the runoff areas around the greens, and Olazabal’s insight will reveal itself.

It was especially evident during Olazabal’s wins. Here’s an example from his 1994 victory: Long of the green on the 14th hole on Sunday, Olazabal faced a chip that many modern players may choose to loft high into the air. The Spaniard, instead, took a short iron, and hit a soft bump-and-run that lipped out.

Choosing to hit the low shot gives Olazabal—and every golfer who does it—three main benefits:

• It allows Olazabal to use the slopes to his advantage, rather than try to avoid them.
• It simplifies his chipping motion, which is easier to repeat under pressure.
• He’s taking the potential of a disaster shot off the table in the event of a mis-hit (which is important!).

Simply put, it’s just an easier shot with more low-maintenance technique and less margin for error. When in doubt, go low. Something the rest of us can learn from when we find ourselves greenside. Lofting something high may look good—when it works—but the low route is often the best one. As a Masters legend can attest to.

Image: Andrew Redington

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Olazabal, who earned an invitation by winning the ’84 British Amateur, recalls stepping onto the Augusta National driving range and immediately being overcome with a sense of unease. He felt intimidated by, get this, the grass.

“Walked on to the driving range, which was the old driving range, and I had never seen grass so perfect before in my life,” said Olazabal, 58, who is making his 35th Masters start this week. “So, I started to warm up, hit some wedges, and you know what? I thinned them all. I couldn’t hit a divot. I was so scared of spoiling such perfect turf.”

OK, so that’s some ultimate respect for one of the cathedrals of golf.

More jitters accompanied the Spaniard for the first round; he was paired with four-time champion Arnold Palmer.

“That was a treat. You know, we didn’t play good golf. Actually we played poorly, but I was really impressed on how the patrons showed their love and appreciation to Arnold,” said Olazabal, who opened with an 81, which remains his highest round of his Masters career. “Every time we got on to a green everybody stood up and clap, and this is something that sticks to my mind.”

Obviously, Olazabal eventually got acclimated to the course and the atmosphere at Augusta, winning in 1994 and ’99, meaning that this year he is celebrating the 30th and 25th anniversaries, respectively, of his two green jackets.

Image: Andrew Redington

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The star performer of the week at Finca Cortesin in Spain was stand-out home hero Carlota Ciganda, who won all four of her matches and took down world No. 3 Nelly Korda 2&1 with some stunning play on the Sunday along the way.

Ciganda marked her sixth appearance in the biennial contest between the best women golfers in Europe and the US in front of a (very) patriotic Spanish throng peppered with friends and family

“It was an amazing experience playing in Spain with all my family there and in front of a home crowd,” Ciganda said in a chat with Golf Digest Middle East on Thursday, having had a few days to let her achievement sink in. “It was such a fun week. The Solheim Cup is one of my favourite events, and to play for Suzann [Pettersen, the Team Europe captain], playing in Spain, it was really special and I am so happy how it ended up and it is a moment I won’t ever forget.”

While Sunday will long stay in the memory of both Carlota and her many fans, she pointed back to a moment on the Friday as a key to how events unfolded as she shared lunch with Ryder Cup legend — both as a captain and as a player with ‘Spanish Armada’ cohort Seve Ballesteros — Jose Maria Olazabal.

“Jose was with us,” Ciganda said. “He came to the opening ceremony with us and we had dinner with him, where he made a speech. I wasn’t playing on Friday morning so I stayed with Jose. He told us stories about Seve playing in the Ryder Cup and that was very inspiring. His message to all the girls was: ‘Never give up. If you still have a chance, just try your best. That’s what Seve used to say and do. Don’t give up and play until the end.’ That was really nice. He also sent he a message after we retained the Cup and it was very special to me to receive that.”

Next up for Ciganda is a trip to Hong Kong to play in the penultimate Aramco Team Series event ahead of the finale in Riyadh at the end of the month, and she hopes to put her now vast experience in team events to good use.

“I have never been to Hong Kong, but I have seen the course and it looks amazing,” she said. “The Aramco always plays quality courses and hopefully I can go and get another win there.

“Playing for a team means you are playing for something bigger than yourself. I think when you play for Europe in the Solheim Cup, or for Spain, or in the Aramco Team Series where you have teammates, you are just trying to help them and bring the best out of them. For me it is a fun week.”

The 14-14 draw in Spain has sparked a bit of debate and division among fans and players, many of whom have suggested some sort of a playoff to decide the winner should the scores be level after three days of play in both the Solheim and Ryder Cups. Ever the diplomat, Ciganda kept a foot in both camps.

“It was always been the way that they have been doing it throughout history [a tie means the previous event’s winner retains the trophy],” she said. “I think if you have 14-14 many years in a row it would be nice to see a winner but it doesn’t happen often so I think it is fine. I think the spectators want to see a winner — especially after three days of competing — so I understand and respect both sides… I don’t know. I think whatever is good for the golf, I am happy with that.”

So, with the men up next at Marco Simone in Italy, who does Carlota think will win that one?

“Ooooof. I’m gonna go with 15-13 for Europe,” she said after a moment of pondering. “I think the Americans are favourites with the players they have, but I think the course and the set-up and we are playing well, so I think we have a good chance. But I think it is going to be a competitive and close Ryder Cup.”

We need to wait for one more Sunday to see how that unfolds, too.

Main image: Carlota Ciganda. Angel Martinez

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With that in mind, let’s take a tour through history and revisit the 15 best captain’s picks ever made, based partly on record and partly on circumstance. Keep in mind that although the Ryder Cup has been around since 1927, Europe didn’t start using captain’s picks until 1979 (and took a year off in 1983), while the US didn’t make its first captain’s picks until 1989.

15: Jose Maria Olazabal, 1987
Record: 3-2-0
3-2-0 is the worst record of any player on this list, but the reason Jose Maria makes the No. 15 spot is that Tony Jacklin had the wits to take him as a rookie, and then to pair him with Seve Ballesteros in a duo that never accomplished much … except to become, by far, the greatest twosome in Ryder Cup history. Here, they won their first three matches, with Olazabal sinking a bevy of clutch putts as Ballesteros guided him around the course. He lost his final two matches, but it was enough to give Europe their first win on American soil, and to launch the Spanish Armada that would give the Americans fits for years.

14: Sergio Garcia, 2021
3-1-0
In the “glory amid a stomping” department, we offer Garcia, who won all three pairs matches with Jon Rahm in the latest installment of the Spanish Armada at Whistling Straits. The end result of the event was an historic 19-11 drubbing by the Americans, but Garcia came through for Padraig Harrington and managed to defeat players such as Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth twice each.

Jose Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros. David Cannon

13: Jose Maria Olazabal, 1991
3-1-1
Three Spanish players in a row? That’s right, we’re going right back to Olazabal. For Bernard Gallacher, it didn’t take a lot of brains to pick Olazabal, who was next in line on the points rankings and literally ranked second in the world, so this one is more about performance than surprise. In any case, he teamed with Seve yet again to win 3.5 points in four matches, and also dealt Paul Azinger two Friday losses that remain among the most memorable — not to say bitter — of his career. The post-script here, though, is that Azinger got his revenge with a win against Olazabal in Sunday singles, and the Americans squeaked out an important win at the “War by the Shore.”

12: Xander Schauffele, 2021
3-1-0
Let’s go right back to Whistling Straits, where Schauffele cemented the brilliance of his partnership with Patrick Cantlay by winning two foursomes matches — including a statement drubbing of Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter in the anchor match of the first session — and also won a fourball match with Dustin Johnson before getting a deserved rest on Saturday afternoon. He got beat by McIlroy on Sunday, but at that point, it didn’t matter. The lead was so massive that the Americans couldn’t lose, and Schauffele played an integral role in getting them there.

11: Ian Poulter, 2008
4-1-0
It’s so easy to forget that anything good happened for the Europeans at Valhalla, but one of the most sneakily significant lines on Poulter’s Ryder Cup résumé is that even in the face of an American annihilation, he was brilliant. After a narrow 1-down Friday loss, he proceeded to win four straight matches, teaming with Justin Rose twice, Graeme McDowell once, and then beating fellow captain’s pick Steve Stricker in singles. The Postman always delivers, even when the rest of his continent is shut down.

Dustin Johnson. Jim Watson

10: Dustin Johnson, 2012
3-0-0
In a lot of ways, this was really the perfect use of a captain’s pick by Davis Love III. He had a “role player” vision for DJ, and it worked to perfection. He teamed with Kuchar to win a match in both fourball sessions, including a win over the tough Rose/Kaymer win on Day 1, and then dusted Nicolas Colsaerts in singles — a rare bright spot in one of the worst days in Ryder Cup history. Love doesn’t get enough credit for how well he managed the team those first two days, and the way he used DJ is the shining example of a strategy gone right.

Jesper Parnevik. David Cannon

9: Jesper Parnevik, 1999
3-1-1
Everything I just wrote about DJ has a slight echo with Parnevik’s 1999 campaign, right down to the massive comeback by the other team on Sunday. Mark James tried a renegade strategy of benching a shocking number of players before Sunday singles, hoping to establish a big enough lead in pairs by avoiding his weakest players in order to safeguard against a Sunday collapse, and it almost worked. A key part of that plan was Parnevik, who teamed with Sergio Garcia four times in the first two days to earn 3.5 points. Among his victims were Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, and if things had gone differently at Brookline on Sunday, he’d be remembered as one of the most important cogs in a brilliant plan by James.

8: Thomas Pieters, 2016
4-1-0
Speaking of valiant efforts in losing causes, it’s easy to forget how brilliant Pieters was at Hazeltine National, becoming just the second player after Ian Poulter (twice) to claim four wins. His first match with a struggling Lee Westwood was disastrous, but after that, he teamed with Rory McIlroy to beat anyone the Americans could throw at them, including the powerhouse Dustin Johnson/Brooks Koepka team on Saturday afternoon. He went on to beat JB Holmes in singles, but this was America’s Cup to win.

Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke. Jamie Squire

7: Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, 2006
DC: 3-0-0/LW: 3-0-2
This was the height of European power in the Ryder Cup, and though they may not have strictly needed this famous Ryder Cup pairing to beat the Americans at The K Club, they nevertheless added to their collective legacy by winning two fourball matches together and then grabbing another win in singles. Westwood added two halves and, considering that they were the only two picks allotted to captain Ian Woosnam that year, it’s hard to imagine how it could have gone any better.

6: Luke Donald, 2010
3-1-0
Celtic Manor goes down as one of the strangest Ryder Cups in recent memory, due to weather more than anything else. Donald, a former World No. 1, got the nod from captain Colin Montgomerie, and as the format was changed to accommodate the many delays, he won two sessions on Saturday and beat Jim Furyk in an early singles match on Monday. This Cup ended with a one-point win for the Europeans, and with all the small margins making such a difference, Donald justified Montgomerie’s faith.

5: Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson, 2018
SG: 3-1-0/HS: 3-0
Somewhere, you can find an article I wrote back in 2018 questioning Thomas Bjorn’s captain’s picks, and his tactic of going with veteran leadership over players on better form. I refuse to link it, but it exists out there. Boy, was I wrong! Paul Casey and Ian Poulter performed admirably, but it was these two picks, Garcia and Stenson, who really lit it up. Stenson teamed with Justin Rose to reprise their fantastic Gleneagles pairing and win both fourball matches, then smashed Bubba Watson in singles, while Garcia teamed with Alex Noren and Rory McIlroy to win two pairs matches, then beat Rickie Fowler in a crucial singles match. Sorry, Thomas!

Hunter Mahan. Sam Greenwood

4: Hunter Mahan, 2008
2-0-3
Paul Azinger didn’t tell anyone he was doing it until after, but part of his revolutionary pod system in 2008 was that the pods of three players who qualified automatically would get to choose their own captain’s pick. That means that this pick actually came down to Phil Mickelson, Anthony Kim and Justin Leonard, who chose Mahan as a group. In the end, Mahan played all five sessions — extremely rare for a captain’s pick — and came away with two wins and three halves. Session after session, he was setting the tone, and his 3.5 total points were crucial in spurring the Americans to a massive win.

3: Raymond Floyd, 1993
3-1-0
Context: This year’s American team will be trying to win in Europe for the first time in 30 years, and the last time they made it work was in 1993. Tom Watson was captain, and though American fans have bad memories of him operating on gut instinct many years later in Gleneagles, in ’93 he made the controversial choice to pick the 51-year-old Floyd — who had actually been a captain four years earlier! — as his final pick. This was the ultimate instinct pick, because Floyd had won just once in the last seven years, and never in ’93. But after getting blanked in one match Friday, he won twice with Payne Stewart on Saturday and beat Jose Maria Olazabal in what turned out to be the clinching match. All things considered, this wild pick couldn’t have turned out any better.

2: Sandy Lyle, 1987
3-1-0
The record may not be as spectacular as some, and he didn’t win his singles match, but it’s important to keep in mind here that in ’87, Europe were attempting the seemingly impossible task of winning for the first time on American soil. In the first session, Bernhard Langer teamed with Ken Brown, but lost, and Tony Jacklin needed a partner for his German star. He went to Lyle, who proceeded to win three straight pairs sessions with Langer and lead Europe to a 10.5 -5.5 lead. Even better for the Europeans, they beat the pairing of Lanny Wadkins and Larry Nelson twice on Saturday, a team that had been among America’s best historically. They needed every bit of that lead, too, because America trounced them in singles, almost erasing the entire deficit. But Lyle’s three wins with Langer helped Europe establish a cushion that was too much to overcome, and that’s how they made history.

Ian Poulter. Getty Images

1: Ian Poulter, 2012
4-0-0
Call me biased if you want, but the Medinah Ryder Cup was the first tournament I ever covered, and I will absolutely never forget Poulter’s brilliant one-man stand in fourball as Saturday afternoon became Saturday night (this video is Ryder Cup 101), which I’m still convinced infused the Europeans with the energy to stage the brilliant comeback on Sunday … a comeback in which Poulter played an integral role, beating Webb Simpson, 2-up, in the second match. All in all, he finished a perfect 4-0-0, and despite the fact that picking Poulter was painfully obvious for Jose Maria Olazabal, it still goes down as the greatest performance by a captain’s pick in the history of this event.

Main image: Golf Digest montage

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Luke Donald has opted for more experience on the sidelines at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy by naming José María Olazábal as his fourth Vice Captain for the showdown with the US at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club from September 26 – October 1.

The 57-year-old Spaniard a Ryder Cup legend, having played for Europe on seven occasions from 1987 to 2006, has been a Vice Captain on three further occasions, in 2008, 2010 and 2014, and, of course, was Captain for the most famous European comeback victory of all time at Medinah in 2012.

In his seven Ryder Cup appearances as a player, which yielded three wins and a tie in 1989 which saw Europe retain the trophy, Olazábal played 31 times, winning 18 of those matches and returning 20.5 points in total for the European cause. His partnership with the late, great Seve Ballesteros still stands head and shoulders above any other pairing in the contest’s history, the Spanish duo winning 12 points from their 15 outings together.

Outside of the Ryder Cup arena, Olazábal has notched up 33 professional wins worldwide, including 23 on the European Tour from 1986 to 2005. But he is best remembered for his two Masters triumphs at Augusta National — in 1994 and 1999 — the second being especially emotional as it came in the wake of fears that rheumatoid arthritis might mean he would never play professionally again.

Luke Donald and Jose Maria Olazabal. Ryder Cup

Olazábal joins the successful European Ryder Cup Captain of 2018, Denmark’s Thomas Bjørn, in Luke Donald’s backroom team, alongside Italian Edoardo Molinari, a winner with Team Europe in 2010, and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, a member of Olazábal’s winning Medinah team alongside Donald in 2012.

Olazábal said: “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.

“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.”

Captain Donald 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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Jose Maria Olazabal, the second Spaniard to win the Masters after the late, great Seve Ballesteros, recognised the poetry in his protégé Jon Rahm triumphing at Augusta National on Sunday. The final round of the 87th Masters came on April 9, meaning Ballesteros, a five-time major champion, would have been celebrating his 66th birthday that same day had he not succumbed to brain cancer in 2011.

What better way for Rahm to honour the greatest golfer to have come from his homeland than to don Augusta’s green jacket on the 40th anniversary of Ballesteros’ second Masters triumph in 1983?

“It’s amazing how things work out,” Olazabal, the 1994 and 1999 Masters champion, said Sunday night. “Sometimes the stars align for a wonderful script.”

Happy Birthday, Seve.

Jon Rahm wins the Masters on what would have been the legend's 66th birthday. pic.twitter.com/vLopj0PmAA

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 9, 2023

Part of that script was apparently written last Tuesday during a practice round Olazabal played with Rahm and Sergio Garcia, the other Spanish player to win at Augusta. Garcia’s victory in 2017 also coincidentally came on April 9.

“Funnily enough, we talked about Sunday being Seve’s birthday and how nice it would be to for one of them to win it on such a special day like today,” Olazabal said.

There was a bit of Seve present in Rahm all week. When Rahm four-putted his first hole of the tournament on Thursday for a double-bogey 6, he thought about a famous quip from Ballesteros when a reporter had asked him how he could have four-putted. “I miss, I miss, I miss, I make,” Ballesteros joked.

Olazabal predicted Rahm, 28, could become one of the greats of the game.

“Jon has the full package. A great long game, a great short game … if there are no injuries were seeing Jon win for a number of years to come,” Olazabal said.

Olazabal choked back tears as he was asked about the connection between Ballesteros and Rahm.

“I’m a little bit emotional, yes,” he said. “I first met Jon as a 14-year-old at a junior event for [Olazabal’s long-term apparel sponsor] Lacoste, in Spain. I didn’t believe he was 14. He was taller than me. He was stronger. He hit it a bloody mile. He had a strong temperament, but it was what impressed me the most. To see him become a Masters champion, the way he was so patient today, is really special.”

It was special. For the country of Spain, and for its favorite golfing son, Ballesteros.

“This one was for Seve,” Rahm said. “He was up there, helping.”

The post Masters 2023: The sign that had Jose Maria Olazabal convinced Jon Rahm was going to win this week appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
We all know that a vast number of footballers are avid golfers — but this is the stuff of dreams for anyone who likes both sports.

Education City Golf Club — home of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters — has begun to establish itself as one of Qatar’s top golf courses since its opening in 2019.

And as far as backdrops go, this club has one of the best in the Middle East. 

The 7,300-yard, José María Olazábal-designed layout is a stone’s throw — or short chip — away from the 40,000 Education City Stadium, one of the eight arenas hosting matches across Qatar at the Fifa 2022 World Cup this winter. With the likes of Denmark, Uruguay, South Korea, France, Portugal, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia set to play a number of matches at the stadium – right through to the tournament quarter-finals in December — Education City is a perfect venue for fans travelling to Doha for the World Cup who also want to squeeze in 18 holes, too. 

BE AT 1 SERIES:
Tame ‘Sea View’, stroke index 1 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at The Els Club Dubai
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Tower Links Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Tame the 7th, stroke index 1, at Dubai Hills Golf Club
Tame the 12th, stroke index 1, at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
Tame the 13th, stroke index 1, at Al Zorah Golf Club
Tame the 10th, stroke index 1, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Arabian Ranches Golf Club

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The post Fifa 2022 World Cup in Qatar can be quite an Education for football and golf fans alike appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.