‘We are united by a culture and we are united by a generation of players that have come before us.’ – JUSTIN ROSE
They would walk off the greens in tow with their partners. When putts dropped for the Europeans, they turned to find their partner. There was pointing, there was hugging, there was laughing. They appear to have a bond that the US team is searching for. Every two years, everyone in golf at- tempts to quantify why the European team, underdogs on paper, seem to have success in this unique format of team golf. Rose, himself, was asked about it in Rome. “We are united by a culture and we are united by a generation of players that have come before us.” he told us on the back of a five-point European victo- ry. “This is our time. Luke has been very clear on that message, this is our time to shine, not because this is our stage, we are just taking care of it because of the amazing role models that we've had be- fore us that have shown us how to do it.” There’s no reference to Europe or a shared sense of responsibility to repre- sent a country or continent. “There's a really strong culture on the European Team. A good pairing on the European Team doesn't mean play- ing with your best mate. You know, it
about his team’s motivation, his answer got there. The badge. And the boys. In that order. Represent the team. Do your teammates proud. Don’t worry about anything else. That’s what is important. That’s how to be successful. And with 11 wins in the last 15 Ryder Cups, it’s working.
means representing something bigger than yourself, and I feel like that's, for me, what being a European Ryder Cup player is all about.” Fast forward two years and Rose again sat in a winning Ryder Cup press con- ference, the fifth time he’s done that, and whilst the question was directly
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