Welcome to the ‘Team Europe’ page.

We are pleased to announce that the European Captain at the Final will be Virgin Atlantic Advertising Manager Hamish Rickman. Hamish, a keen golfer, will provide regular updates on this page throughout the Season, and of course will be responsible for the all important pairings and team order come September.

Hamish Rickman's 1st Blog Entry 01/05/2008

Preparations for the final are now well underway at Virgin Atlantic and there’s certainly a buzz of expectation in the office as we move ever closer to the big event.

It seems fitting that last week we announced that once again Virgin Atlantic will be flying the European Ryder Cup team to the States this year. In 2004, it was a tremendous experience being involved in one of the biggest events in sport, and those fortunate enough to be at Heathrow on the day that the team left could not fail to be caught up in the excitement of the Ryder Cup. It will be no different this year – in fact it will be even more special as we will have just returned from our own US v Europe contest, hopefully with a win under our belt!

Of course there’s a lot of golf to play in the Swingers league before then, and those that fill the top of the leaderboard now might not necessarily be there come August. As the weather improves and our courses reach peak condition, I expect a lot of activity at the top of the leaderboard in both the Club and Fun Swingers League as competition for spaces in the team reaches a peak.

So whilst the pros seek those all important Ryder cup points to ensure their ticket to Kentucky, for you Swingers, golf league points are going to be equally valuable if you are going to join my ‘winning’ team in California . Good luck!

Hamish

Hamish Rickman's Questions and Answers - 01/04/2008

Q: So Hamish, what's your current handicap?
A: 12

Q: Do you belong to a club?
A: I used to be a member at Liphook, Old Thorns and Trevose, but with the delights of fatherhood came the requirement to temporarily suspend my membership.

Q:How long have you been playing golf for?
A: 22 years

Q: What's your favourite golfing memory?
A: On my debut as a Liphook junior, coming back from 5 down at the turn to win on the 18th by holing a 12 footer. That and having a pee next to Seve at Wentworth during the World Matchplay there.

Q: What's your favourite course?
A: Trevose in Cornwall

Q: What's your favourite Europe v US golfing moment?
A: Every time Europe has won, from the tension of 1997 to the convincing thumping on the last 2 occasions.

Q: Are you looking forward to leading your team in the final in September?
A: Of course. Having attended the Swingers final last year, we have got a real abundance of talented and deeply passionate golfers. More importantly however, everyone seems to be really friendly so we are all going to have a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Q: Do you have any tips for European Swingers trying to qualify for the team?
A: Play as much as you can with other Swingers! Try flying out to the States or Caribbean to get some warm weather practice in and get used to their conditions. Given how well our Flying Club guys do their events, it is worth doing all you can to qualify for this event. On this note, I just want to say thanks in advance to Luke and Paul at Milestone and Becky, Gills and Jon at Virgin Atlantic for doing such a great job with Swingers and laying on what is going to be the best event so far.

Q:If you could compare yourself to a previous European Captain, who would it be and why?!
A: A mix of Seve and Bernhard L - determined and passionate but keen to enjoy every moment. Plus they both won on their first attempt.

Q: Any message for the US team?
A: We are going to win. Not only do we have the talent and mental toughness needed for matchplay golf, but we are also going to be a formidable team. There's nothing like a 12 hr flight to bond.