Darren Clarke names trio of Ryder Cup vice-captains
The European Ryder Cup leadership team is taking shape.
On Friday at the BMW PGA Championship in England, 2016 European captain Darren Clarke named three vice-captains: three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, 1999 British Open winner Paul Lawrie and Ryder Cup stalwart Thomas Bjorn.
Having all played in the era of European dominance of the biennial series, the trio of vice-captains have experience to offer a 12-player squad that may well have a number of fresh faces.
Bjorn was on the winning side in all three of his Ryder Cup appearances in 1997, 2002 and 2014, all of which were played on European soil. He was also a vice captain in 2004, 2010 and 2012.
Lawrie was a part of the European side in 2012 when the Jose Maria Olazabal-led team came back from 4 points down on the final day in Chicago, in what’s dubbed the Miracle at Medinah.
Harrington has the most experience of the vice-captains, making six appearances and notching a 7-11-3 record. He was a vice-captain for Paul McGinley in 2014 at Gleneagles.
“The three bring a wealth of experience and knowledge and their input will be invaluable to Europe’s cause,” Clarke said. “I could not have asked for anybody better to be standing shoulder to shoulder with me in the bid to bring The Ryder Cup home.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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