Gianfranco Zola will moonlight as a buggy driver at the Ryder Cup after being recruited by the European vice-captain Francesco Molinari.
The former Chelsea and Italy forward has been a close friend of his fellow countryman for several years and kept a watchful eye over the European team during their practice rounds on Tuesday. The pair struck up a close friendship when Molinari moved to London in 2009 and Zola was the manager of West Ham United, of whom the former is still a fan.
“He is a good friend of mine and there was no other choice. He has moved on since but I have stuck with the Hammers,” Molinari, 42, who has since relocated to California, said.
Molinari has even credited Zola, who has a single-figure handicap and regularly plays in the pro-am at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, with helping to inspire his tremendous form in 2018 when he held off Tiger Woods to win the Open Championship before becoming the first player to go 5-0-0 at the Ryder Cup.
Zola looked relaxed as he familiarised himself with the Bethpage Black course this week
CARL RECINE/GETTY IMAGES
“He likes his golf. He started playing here in England when he played for Chelsea. Now he has a lot of free time and he is playing a lot more,” Molinari said before Europe’s win in Paris. “We are becoming good friends and he is a really nice guy to play with and spend time with.
“We have talked about playing in the Ryder Cup and we made the comparison that the Ryder Cup is like playing in the World Cup for footballers. We were talking about the pressure you feel and how you try to use it to your own advantage. It has been good to talk to someone else who has been in a similar position where the world will be watching you.”
Zola is not the first celebrity to be invited inside the team room. Sir Nick Faldo famously hired DJ Spoony and the Iron Maiden drummer, Nicko McBrain, to loosen the players up in 2008, although it clearly did not have the desired effect as Europe were defeated at Valhalla.
Luke Donald also enlisted Novak Djokovic to give the players a motivational speech in Rome, with more success. Rasmus Hojgaard, who will make his Ryder Cup debut this week (replacing his twin, Nicolai), was a buggy driver in Rome two years ago, a decision by Team Europe made with the intention of exposing the rookie to the competition.