Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn is to captain Europe at the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris.
The 45 year old will be only the fourth man from outside the British Isles to lead the team, after Seve Ballesteros, José Maria Olazabal and Bernhard Langer.
Bjorn, who has been vice-captain four times, was chosen ahead of 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie, who also put his name forward as a candidate.
As a player, Bjorn was a Ryder Cup winner in 1997, 2002 and 2014, and has won 15 European Tour titles.
“I have lived and breathed the European Tour for so long, and now I will do the same with the Ryder Cup for the next two years,” said Bjorn. “I studied a lot of captains as a player and as a vice-captain, and always wondered what that feeling would be like to be the one leading out a team of 12 great players. Now it’s my turn to do just that and it is an exciting moment for me.”