Ryder Cup 2002: Europe Team Guide

Darren Clarke | Padraig Harrington | Thomas Bjorn | Colin Montgomerie | Pierre Fulke | Lee Westwood | Paul McGinley | Niclas Fasth | Bernhard Langer | Phillip Price | Sergio Garcia | Jesper Parnevik

Matchplay is regarded by many as the purest form of golf and it is the discipline in which Darren Clarke has enjoyed some of his most notable successes. He became the first European to win the World Golf Championship, capturing the Andersen Consulting Match Play title in February 2000 by beating Tiger Woods in the final at La Costa in California.
The Ulsterman has appeared in the last two Ryder Cups and came out on top in both of his matchplay meetings with Woods, including at Brookline three years ago when he played alongside his great friend Lee Westwood.
Clarke played in the first four series of matches last time out in partnership with Westwood and although the latter's form this season has been poor by his standards, they may again form a powerful pairing at The Belfry. Yet the European captain, Sam Torrance, may feel that they are now experienced enough in their own right to be given the responsibility of looking after some of the Ryder Cup rookies.
Clarke has finished in the top 10 of the European money list in each of the past six seasons, with a best finish of second in 2000. If he can reproduce his best form when it matters most, Europe will have a formidable competitor firing on all cylinders at The Belfry.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON
Country: Republic of Ireland
Date of birth: 31.08.71
Birthplace: Dublin
Majors: none
Career victories: 5
Victories this season: none
World ranking: 8th
Ryder Cup record: 1999. P3 W1 H1 L1.
Qualifying position: 2

The most notorious incident in Padraig Harrington's career came when he did not sign his card at the Benson and Hedges International Open at The Belfry in 2000. As he was leading by five-strokes at the time, his level-headed response to disqualification was admirable and endeared him to the golfing public.
He qualified for the Ryder Cup at Brookline in 1999, playing some of the most courageous golf of his career to claim the 10th and last automatic place. In the match, he was the first European to win his singles (having seen six of his team-mates turned over) when he beat Mark O'Meara on the ultimate hole, holding his nerve on that now infamous final day. Three times a Walker Cup player - he featured in the winning side against an American team containing Tiger Woods at Porthcawl in 1995 - Harrington clearly has the game to compete at the highest level. As an example of his rapid upward progression, Harrington qualified second for this Ryder Cup team, in contrast to 1999 when he had to finish second in the last two qualifying events to seal his place at Brookline.
This year Harrington has been one of the few in the Europe team to take his game forward. Three top 10 finishes in the year's four majors has seen him emerge as one of the world's most consistent competitors. An ankle injury has been the only worry in an otherwise fine year.

THOMAS BJORN
Country: Denmark
Date of birth: 18.02.71
Birthplace: Silkeborg
Majors: none
Career victories: 12
Victories this season: 1
World ranking: 36th
Ryder Cup record: 1997. P2 W1 H1 L0.
Qualifying position: 3rd

Blessed with a solid, powerful game, Bjorn became the first Danish Ryder Cup golfer in 1997 at Valderrama. His arrival as a major force in the world game came in 2000 when tying for second place behind Tiger Woods in The Open at St Andrews. He also finished third behind Woods and Bob May in the USPGA at Valhalla in the same year.
Bjorn went on to produce the best performance of his career in the 2001 Dubai Desert Classic, playing all four rounds in the company of Woods and emerging on top by two shots, proving that he is not troubled by the big occasion.
The 31-year-old turned professional in 1993 but it was not until September 1996 that he made his mark, with a nerveless performance to win the Loch Lomond World Invitational.
That was the kind of form which earned Bjorn his place in Seve Ballesteros's team at Valderrama. While at first thought to be a weak link in the side, Bjorn's contribution in helping to retain the Cup, won back at Oak Hill in 1995, was sensational. First, he combined with Ian Woosnam in a fourball victory over Justin Leonard and Brad Faxon, then engineered a stirring comeback to earn a vital half against Leonard.
Bjorn had arrived and few Americans will relish facing him at any stage over the weekend.

Colin Montgomerie must be heartily sick of being reminded of his conspicuous lack of success at major tournaments. Three times the Scot has finished runner-up and has had the misfortune to lose two titles ? the 1994 US Open and 1995 USPGA ? in play-offs.
As he has struggled with a back problem, this year has not been vintage Monty, yet nobody can deny the impact he has had on the European Tour. He leads the career money list with total earnings of almost £8.5m and was European No 1 for seven successive seasons before being toppled by Lee Westwood in 2000. He has won more than 20 European Tour titles and has featured in five Ryder Cup teams since 1991. The highlights of his 2001 campaign were victories in the Ericsson Masters in Australia and the Irish Open at Fota Island. In 1999 Monty extended his unbeaten Ryder Cup singles record when he defeated the late Payne Stewart on the last green. Earlier he had partnered Paul Lawrie in the foursomes and fourballs, emerging with two wins, a half and one defeat.
On the Cup's last visit to The Belfry eight years ago, Montgomerie was junior partner to Nick Faldo. If his back stands up to it this time he willbe the man the other Europeans will be looking to for leadership and inspiration.

PIERRE FULKE
Country: Sweden
Date of birth: 21.02.71
Birthplace: Nykoping
Majors: none
Career victories: 5
Victories this season: none
World ranking: 90th
Ryder Cup record: none
Qualifying position: 5th

Pierre Fulke's win in the 2000 Volvo Masters propelled the Swede to the head of the Ryder Cup standings for 2001. It was a position he consolidated in January 2001 by finishing second behind Steve Stricker in the World Matchplay Championship in Melbourne.
With his place for the 2001 Ryder Cup virtually wrapped up in the opening exchanges, Fulke then experienced a dip in form, failing to make the cut in five of seven tournaments leading up to the Open.
However, on the big stage at Royal Lytham in the 2001 Open, Fulke recovered his game. Prominent on the leaderboard throughout the first 54 holes, he blew a top-10 finish by shooting an 83, 12 over par, in the final round.
Fulke's form this season has not been too convincing. Up until a fortnight before the Ryder Cup, his best tournament finish was a second place at the Johnnie Walker Classic in January. However, a sixth place at the USPGA Championship last month will have provided timely encouragement for Fulke, the son of a national swimming champion, in the lead up to the Ryder Cup.
What is certain is that the Swede's performance at matchplay in Melbourne will have given Sam Torrance a degree of confidence that Fulke can still be a useful member of his Ryder Cup team.

LEE WESTWOOD
Country: England
Date of birth: 24.04.73
Birthplace: Worksop
Majors: none
Career victories: 24
Victories this season: none
World ranking: 129th
Ryder Cup record: 1997, 1999. P10 W4 H0 L6.
Qualifying position: 6th

A qualifying position of sixth in the race for the 2001 Ryder Cup would have pleased many golfers but for Lee Westwood, who ended Colin Montgomerie's seven-year run at the Order of Merit apex in 2000, it was an achievement tempered by a large dash of disappointment.
Things have only got worse for the 29-year-old Englishman this year. He is has been ranked well outside the world's top 100 and has a best tournament placing of 15th in 2002. In last month's USPGA Championship, he failed to make the cut and finished 143rd.
Westwood turned professional in 1993 and was widely regarded as Nick Faldo's successor as England's leading player. Apart from 15 victories in Europe, he has recorded nine wins on other continents, including the US Tour.
At the 1997 Ryder Cup, Westwood's debut, he partnered Faldo and Europe retained the trophy. Two years later, he forged a successful pairing with Darren Clarke at Brookline and in 2001 Westwood was expected to take a pivotal role in Europe's challenge against the Americans. On current form, that is unlikely to happen.
This will be only Westwood's third Ryder Cup, but if the Europeans are to prosper he will need to resume his role as one of the team's high achievers.

PAUL McGINLEY
Country: Republic of Ireland
Date of birth: 16.12.66
Birthplace: Dublin
Majors: none
Career victories: 3
Victories this season: none
World ranking: 67th
Ryder Cup record: none
Qualifying position: 7th

The Irishman ? forced by a broken kneecap at the age of 19 to give up Gaelic football and concentrate on a career in golf ? first made an impression when he beat Phil Mickelson and Bob May while partnering Liam White in the 1991 Walker Cup. In the same year McGinley won his Tour card at the first attempt and finished a creditable 15th in the Order of Merit in 1996.
He bettered that by coming eighth in the 2001 season thanks to a succession of top-10 finishes which helped him to secure a Ryder Cup place. McGinley was playing such consistently good golf in the year-long qualifying race for a place that he missed only one cut. He made sure of qualifying for the team by winning the 2001 Wales Open at Celtic Manor. This year, however, is a different story and McGinley has been languishing in the 40s in the Order of Merit.
In 1997 McGinley teamed up with Padraig Harrington to win the World Cup of Golf at Kiawah Island and he possesses the golfing skills to emulate his countryman and step up a level to become a leading figure in this Ryder Cup. A stablemate of Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke, he is also a neighbour of Clarke's in Sunningdale. His wife, Alison, is a professional golfer. The pedigree is undoubted, but McGinley is playing a game of catch-up.

NICLAS FASTH
Country: Sweden
Date of birth: 29.04.72
Birthplace: Gothenburg
Majors: none
Career victories: 5
Victories this season: none
World ranking: 35th
Ryder Cup record: none
Qualifying position: 8th

An outstanding and unexpected performance at The Open at Royal Lytham in July 2001 threw Fasth's name into the 2001 Ryder Cup mixer. The 30-year-old Swede capitalised on a good run of form on the European Tour leading up to the tournament by finishing second to David Duval. It was Fasth's major debut, having failed to qualify in five previous attempts, and his surprising display was enough to assure a Ryder Cup place.
It was the 2000 season which kickstarted Fasth's career, as he secured his maiden Tour victory at the Madeira Island Open. In 2001 a decent showing at the Volvo PGA and sixth place at the Victor Chandler British Masters were followed by a tie for second place with his Ryder Cup team-mates Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke at the Irish Open.
Fasth tried to play on both the US and European Tours in 1998, but the experiment was not a success. Drained by the travelling, he ended up losing his card on both tours. After that débâcle, he focused on the European Tour, a decision which paid off in 2000 when he won in Madeira. His best results this year have been second places behind Ernie Els in the Dubai Desert Classic and trailing Soren Hansen after losing a play-off for the Irish Open title. Two other top 10 finishes helped him climb into the 30s in the world rankings.

BERNHARD LANGER
Country: Germany
Date of birth: 27.08.57
Birthplace: Anhausen
Majors: 2
Career victories: 64
Victories this season: none
World ranking: 25th
Ryder Cup record: 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997. P38 W18 H5 L15.
Qualifying position: 9th

Bernhard Langer has been one of the European Tour's most consistent performers for more than two decades. Since 1980, he has finished outside the top 30 in the Order of Merit only once, in 1996.
Langer has displayed his calm temperament in the heat of nine Ryder Cup battles, although he was controversially left out of the side in 1999. Last year, however, he recovered his form, winning in the Netherlands in July.
The German was a central figure in one of the most famous recent Ryder Cups, in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, in 1991. After two days of fluctuating fortunes, and a simmering dispute between Seve Ballesteros and Paul Azinger, the final day's play of the War on the Shore was a tense affair. The contest eventually boiled down to the confrontation between Langer and Hale Irwin. The German faced a six-foot putt on the last hole to tie the entire match and retain the trophy ? but he fluffed his shot and the Americans reclaimed the Cup.
At Valderrama six years later, Langer's nerve held in a similar situation. Europe were five points up going into the singles, but the Americans fought back. Langer was playing Brad Faxon and his victory, secured on the 17th, ensured at least a tie for Europe, who went on to win by a single point.

PHILLIP PRICE
Country: Wales
Date of birth: 21.10.66
Birthplace: Pontypridd
Majors: none
Career victories: 2
Victories this season: none
World ranking: 109th
Ryder Cup record: none
Qualifying position: 10th

From turning professional in 1989 until his career took off in 1998, Phillip Price had just one title, the 1994 Portuguese Open, and one runners-up spot to show for eight years' toil on the European Tour.
The turnaround came when he posted two second places and finished 15th in the Order of Merit. Two years later, Price broke into the top 10, climbing to eighth place in the Order of Merit thanks largely to four runners-up finishes. His highlight of 2000 was a second-place to Tiger Woods in the WGC-NEC Invitational at Akron, Ohio, which produced the biggest payday of his career. Last season, Price finally won again on the European Tour, triumphing, as he had done seven years before, at the Portuguese Open. Price gained the 10th and final qualification place for the European Ryder Cup team despite missing the cut in the final qualification event, the 2001 BMW Open.
The Welshman's best results this year have come with a third place at the Victor Chandler British Masters and the Compass Group English Open. This has put him in the 30s in the Order of Merit but his world ranking has slipped below the 100 mark and Price will need to be at the top of his game if he is to make an impression at this, his debut Ryder Cup. Missing the cut in the Open at Muirfield and last month's USPGA will not have helped his confidence

SERGIO GARCIA
Country: Spain
Date of birth: 09.01.80
Birthplace: Castellon
Majors: none
Career victories: 7
Victories this season: 2
World ranking: 5th
Ryder Cup record: 1999. P5 W3 H1 L1.
Qualifying position: Captain's pick

Sergio Garcia's victories last year in the MasterCard Colonial and the Buick Classic provided evidence that he may now be ready to mount a serious challenge for the game's greatest prizes.
Garcia turned professional in April 1999 and on his sixth start as a professional, he won the Murphy's Irish Open. He also ran Tiger Woods close in the USPGA and rounded off the year by winning the Sir Henry Cotton rookie of the year award.
The Spanish prodigy made his Ryder Cup debut at Brookline ? becoming the youngest player to appear in the event ? in the same year and played brilliantly. He picked up three and a half points out of five, forging a formidable partnership with the Jesper Parnevik. The pair won both their matches on the first day and remained unbeaten on day two. Sam Torrance will no doubt be sorely tempted to reform the partnership at The Belfry this year.
Garcia's good form continued after his memorable Ryder Cup bow. The Spaniard won in both the following two weeks, first at the German Masters and then with Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez at the Alfred Dunhill Cup.
This year a victory in the Mercedes Championship at the beginning of the year and top 10 finishes in the four majors have seen Garcia rise into the world's top five.

JESPER PARNEVIK
Country: Sweden
Date of birth: 07.03.65
Birthplace: Danderyd
Majors: none
Career victories: 12
Victories this season: none
World ranking: 54th
Ryder Cup record: 1997, 1999. P9 W4 H3 L2.
Qualifying position: Captain's pick

Jesper Parnevik, the son of a comedian, is one of golf's most recognisable figures, with the turned-up peak on his baseball cap and drainpipe trousers trademarks now familiar to followers of the sport. Unfortunately the talent which matches his extravagant appearance has deserted him this year as an attack of the putting yips has devastated his confidence.
If the Swede can recover his form, however, he can still be an asset. Since turning professional in 1988, he has claimed 12 victories and won US Tour events in each of the past four seasons as well as finishing twice as runner-up in the Open. Parnevik's first European Tour win came in the 1993 Scottish Open at Gleneagles, and in 1995 he became the first Swede to capture a European Tour event on Swedish soil with victory at the Scandinavian Masters. In 1999 he represented Europe for the second time in the Ryder Cup after being part of the winning team in 1997 and formed a successful partnership with Sergio Garcia.
Yet health problems stalled his momentum in 2000, 2001 and 2002: he suffered from an erratic heartbeat and a hip complaint required surgery. However, he bounced back late in 2001 by winning the Honda Open. But this year has been a write off with a second place in the BellSouth Classic the one bright spot.