Miguel Angel Jimenez slams tour as ‘banana republic’ for saying his English is too poor to become Europe’s captain
Popular Spaniard aghast to be told his England wasn't good enough to captain Team Europe in golf's greatest competition
MIGUEL Angel Jimenez insists he was overlooked for the Team Europe captaincy at the Ryder Cup because his English was not good enough.
And the amenable, cigar-chomping Spaniard regards that decision by the European Tour chiefs as “a little bit banana republic.”
Jimenez offered his services for 2018 at Le Golf National in France suspecting he would be overlooked given he was no longer active on the European circuit.
But he was aghast to learn along the way that the reason given by the Ryder Cup decision makers for overlooking him in favour of Darren Clarke for Hazeltine 2016 was his grasp of the English language.
“The excuse was a little bit banana Republic,” Jimenez told the Spanish golf news portal Ten-Golf.com", "with all by respect for bananas, which are very tasty.
“But the excuse was that ’you have to perfect your English’, as if you win the Ryder Cup with the language. I believe interpreters exist for a reason, not that I ever needed one.”
Switching from Spanish to English, Jimenez added: “Because as you know, I have been travelling around the world for 28 years and still didn’t get lost.
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“Anyway, I exchanged some words with the Director of the Ryder Cup [Richard Hills] and the head of the tour at that time [George O’Grady] and told them that this was terrible. I was quite unhappy. Not this time (2018) as I understood the situation [in being active on tour being a pre-requisite].”
Jimenez appeared four times as a Ryder Cup player, winning the coveted trophy in 2004 and 2010 and a as a vice-captain under Jose Maria Olazabal in 2012.
Having always defended in committee the idea that Europe’s Ryder Cup captain must be an active player, Jimenez sent current Chief Executive, Keith Pelley, an application letter for the 2018 captaincy recently awarded to Denmark's Thomas Bjorn.
He made it clear to Pelley that he would be dedicating himself to the Champions Tour for the next two years, knowing that would count against him.
The winner of 33 tournaments worldwide since 1992 as well as a four-time Ryder Cup player (he was twice a winning assistant), Jiminez’s lone win in the Spanish Open in 2014 made him the oldest winner in European Tour history at 50 years and 133 days.
“It’s a regret I will never be Ryder Cup captain,” said Jiminez, who is 53 on January 5.
"It’s a shame that after 28 years travelling around the world and doing the things I have done on tour, including organising the Open de Andalusia for 16 years, not leaving the European Tour when I had my PGA Tour card and a load of things that I did over a long period of time, that that will not be rewarded."
Jimenez is not alone in his disappointment.
Writing for ESPN before Bjorn's appointment 1999 Team Europe captain Mark James put the case for the genial Spaniard.
"There's no question that he would make a brilliant leader, and I think he'd be better in Paris in 2018 than in Wisconsin two years later because he is a little extroverted, and it's easier to be that way at home," he said.
"Jimenez has done everything you can except win majors in the European game. He has won 21 tour titles, is highly respected by his fellow players and is well-liked. He has to be the No 1 candidate.
"People have suggested that the 52-year-old Spaniard's English isn't good enough for him to do the job effectively, but I think language has been used as an excuse. Miguel's English has always seemed pretty good to me, and if he speaks a bit more slowly, everyone could understand him easily, so I don't see that as a problem.