Ernie Els says team captains such as Luke Donald will always get criticised whoever they pick for events like the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup – but says there’s always a plan behind them.
Donald’s wildcard picks for his European Ryder Cup side are in the spotlight, but Els says it’s the same for every captain in team golf who has to “live and die by your decisions” when picking players.
Adrian Meronk was the unlucky man to miss out, with many saying the Pole deserved to make the Ryder Cup side after a superb season including a win on the same Marco Simone course that will host the event in Rome.
However, Els says captains have to think deeper than just who is playing well, with the team dynamic and pairings all playing a part in their thinking.
“Yeah, you’re always going to get criticised,” Els said of being a team captain. “I was when I had to make my selections. You’ve got to leave somebody out. It’s almost obvious.
“But there’s always a plan by why you are making certain decisions. It’s really got to do with pairing, just the whole team concept.
“As long as players don’t take it personally, that will be good. But it’s hard for players not to sometimes take it personally because you give your whole life to playing Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, then you get left out.
“It’s very hard on the player, harder on the player that gets left out, but it’s as hard on the captain because you have to live and die by your decision.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Once Donald gets to Rome, Els says there’ll be a lot going on when the players are on the course, and a lot of organising to do on the run via radio with vice-captains dotted around the course.
“Being on the team for many, many years, it’s everything (on the radio) from very lighthearted to very tense stuff depending on where you are in the matches,” Els explained.
“A lot of organization stuff going on, especially from management, management telling you where you have to be at certain times of the day, especially if you’re captain, the vice captains.
“It’s strategy, making sure that the players stay on their strategy that we planned.
Away from the serious side of captaincy, Els also spoke…
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