Alex Noren has been named as Team Europe’s fifth and final vice-captain by Luke Donald for the upcoming Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
Noren has appeared in one Ryder Cup as a player, securing two points from three matches at Le Golf National in Paris in 2018 as Europe notched a 17.5-10.5 victory over the USA.
The Swede’s biggest moment during that win came he sunk a 40-foot putt on the 18th hole to beat Bryson DeChambeau in the final Sunday singles match to put a cherry on top of the European triumph.
Noren made a late surge to be included as a player this year when he won the British Masters at the Belfry just before the cut-off for automatic qualification, having impressed with a T7 at the 3M Open and a T3 at the Wyndham Championship on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in his previous two appearances. However, missing the cut at the European Masters just days before Donald named his captain’s picks ended any lingering outside hope of sneaking on to the team.
He will now be in New York after all though, as Donald selected him as a fifth vice-captain for the event from 26-28 September, joining Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, Thomas Bjorn and Jose Maria Olazabal.
Those other four men were all vice-captains for the European win in Rome in 2023, so the 43-year-old Noren – who replaces Nicolas Colsaerts from two years ago – will bring some new blood to a team that also has the same captain and 11 of the same 12 players.
“It was a big shock when I found out. I didn’t expect it at all,” Noren said. “I want to bring a good attitude to the team room. Bring some knowledge. I’ve been in this game a long time.”
Noren will add a further Scandinavian element to Team Europe as fellow Swede Ludvig Aberg, Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard are all part of the playing 12, while vice-captain Bjorn is another Dane.
And Donald says he had no doubt about selecting the well-liked, 11-time DP World Tour event winner as part of his leadership team.
“He will do everything that he can to help the team,” explained Donald. “He’s a humble guy, it’s never about Alex.
“He is a good friend of mine. We practice together at the Bears Club (in Jupiter, Florida) where other players who are going to be on that team also practice. So he has a great familiarity with a lot of the guys and I think that’s really useful.”
Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Donald added: “Proud to name Alex Noren as a Vice Captain for Team Europe. Respected, meticulous in his preparation, and fiercely competitive – he’ll be a huge asset to our team at Bethpage.”
