Darren Clarke says Luke Donald will have to think on his feet this week as changing well-laid plans at the last moment is one of the hardest jobs of being Ryder Cup captain.
We spoke to former Ryder Cup player and captain Clarke about all aspects of the event, from playing to being a vice-captain and captain, as Europe take on the USA again at Marco Simone in Rome.
And the main theme about being a captain is getting those big decisions right, from making wildcard picks, to selecting pairings and then, most crucially of all, having to change plans on the fly during the event.
“You’ve got to make decisions, based on the best information that you have, based on analytics, on stats, and just on how guys are playing, whether they’re comfortable with how they’re playing and with who,” BoyleSports ambassador Clarke told Golf Monthly.
“Then you have to decide maybe if you’re leaving some guys out that you didn’t think you’d have to sit out because of how they’re playing or feeling.
“I’m sure Luke will have a plan he’s worked on going into it, but plans are very much score dependent, things change, things may have to change, partnerships may go wrong and have to be change.
“So everything you can imagine, Luke will have covered, but it’s all then down to how the players play and he’ll have to be able to adapt quickly.”
Clarke says for his captaincy in 2016, he had his opening session pairings prepared well in advance.
“We had an idea of who we’d like to play maybe two or three months ahead of time, but obviously the qualification hadn’t finished so we finalised them the week after qualification was done,” he added.
“But, again, you have to be prepared to rip those plans up and change things if they’re not working out – as captain thinking fast is what it’s all about.”
Captaincy judged on the result
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Another big aspect of captaincy is making the wildcard picks, which has become increasingly important with now six available for both USA and European captains.
And Clarke is well aware that those picks, and indeed the captain’s entire stint, will only be judged on one thing – whether they win…
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