Thomas Bjorn confident in Shane Lowry and 'generational talent' heading to Rome
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Shane Lowry might be a dubious Ryder Cup pick for some, but European vice-captain Thomas Bjorn believes skipper Luke Donald and the rest of the backroom team know how to push the Offaly man's buttons and get the very best out of him in Rome.
The 2019 Open champion has failed to hit top form this season, and while some believe he's kept the likes of Adrian Meronk out of the team, he was always a pick for Donald, whose decision to select both Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard likely put paid to the Pole's chances on a Ryder Cup debut.
"We've got a great backbone of the team, and I am delighted to see that Shane is there," winning 2018 captain Bjorn said at The K Club, where he is competing in this week's Horizon Irish Open. "He's such a huge part of what we are as a team. He gets the Ryder Cup, but he also gets the team environment. He will make people around him better."
Bjorn knows the media will second guess the choice of rookies Hojgaard and Aberg, but he has no doubts they belong in Rome.
"European golf's got some real young, promising you'd argue generational talent coming through, and Luke put some faith in those," the Dane said. "But I think it's easy to put the faith in when you see how quick Jon (Rahm) took to it, Viktor Hovland, how quick that progress has gone.
"So there's a lot of guys in that team that's gone from the same path as Ludwig and Nicolai are going through. I think they'll understand each other, and that makes them a great team. And I think they'll feel very comfortable in that environment."
Ryder Cup wild cards always lead to debate, but Bjorn says Donald and the rest of the vice-captains will not pay attention to the noise.
"You can argue about so many guys that have done such a good job to get in this situation and could potentially be there," he said. "But I think for Luke and for us, we will concentrate on the 12 that are there. That's the only thing we can do, and then we'll let other people concentrate on what could have been.
"We've got 12 and it's a strong team. I am very happy."
It's no secret that Lowry has struggled for form this year, but Bjorn knows he has that X-factor that separates the good from the great.
"I think Shane has obviously not been comfortable with his golf all the time this year, and he knows that," Bjorn said. "But he's also... he's easy to inspire. And we know how to inspire him. We will press the right buttons."
The selections of Hojgaard or Aberg, who won the Omega European Masters in just his ninth professional start on Sunday, are huge positives for Europe and perhaps not the kind of wildcard choices that past captains might have made.
But the younger generation is different, and Bjorn knows a great player when he sees one.
"If you said to me after Whistling Straits, or even a year ago, that we'd have a team that strong, I'd have said it was doubtful," he said of a side that also boasts Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Robert MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Tyrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, and Justin Rose.
"But two years is a long time in golf, and I said it straight afterwards. People go in and out of form, and things change.
"We have a lot of guys in great form and a lot of guys that feel very good about their game, and that sets us up nicely.
"But we are also very well aware of what we're up against. I thought Luke did well (with his announcement), and he is very comfortable and confident in what he's doing. And that helps the players that they have a captain they feel is in control of what he's doing. It's well thought through and so happy."
As for the selection of Aberg, he said: "I don't want to put him in the category of Rory or Jon, but things come along in golf. Sometimes, when you've been around for a long time, you look out the corner of your eye and say, 'Hmmm, there's something that's a bit different'. And that's what we have here.
"And we know it's very much a diamond in the rough. But as Jamie Weir (of Sky Sports) said so well, if you're good enough, you're never too young, and I think this kid is good enough.
"I think the kids that come out, they're just different today. His performance on Sunday was a seasoned professional performance because you're up against an extremely experienced player (in Fitzpatrick) who looked like he was on cruise control. And he stayed in it, he stayed in it, he applied the pressure.
"And when Matt just had a wobble at the end, he was there to pounce. And that's something you would normally not see from a young player. They would be frustrated that they got close and then fall away. He just kept going, he was there, and I was very impressed with him. And he's just that nicest boy."
