BANGKOK – Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal will lead Europe against Asia at next year’s Royal Trophy, which is being dedicated to Seve Ballesteros.
Europe will vie for its fifth win in six editions at the Dec. 14-16 event at Brunei’s Empire Hotel and Country Club, where five-time major winner Ballesteros will be remembered after the Spanish great’s death from cancer in May.
Olazabal, who replaced event-founder Ballesteros as captain in 2009, says this tournament is “extremely meaningful to me … this will be a very important occasion.”
Spanish pair Olazabal and Ballesteros formed the most successful partnership in Ryder Cup history.
Olazabal is captaining Europe’s defense of the Ryder Cup in Medinah, Ill., in Sept. 2012.