Ryder Cup captains issue joint letter pledging unity in coronavirus fight

UK

Ryder Cup captains Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker have issued a joint letter stressing Europe and the US must remain united in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite a widespread reshuffling of the golf year, and the cancellation of The Open, the 2020 Ryder Cup is still scheduled to take place in Wisconsin in September.

In the letter, Harrington and Stricker wrote: “Every two years Europe and the United States of America come together.

The Ryder Cup has not yet been cancelled or postponed
The Ryder Cup has not yet been cancelled or postponed (Adam Davy/PA)

“We are united by the shared values of sportsmanship and our desire to defeat a formidable opponent.

“In doing so, we witness some incredible displays of determination, passion and spirit.

“When Europe takes on the United States in The Ryder Cup it is always fiercely contested but it is just golf. It is not a matter of life and death.

“Today Europe and the United States are united like never before. We have a formidable opponent, but it is not each other. It is like nothing we have ever faced before.

“Defeating Coronavirus won’t happen in three days. It won’t happen because of the efforts of only 12 men. It needs all of us to play our part.”

Harrington and Stricker went on to pay tribute to the health workers who have put their lives on the line to head to the frontline of the crisis.

They added: “Instead of celebrating someone in a Green Jacket, this week we rightly celebrate those selfless people around the world wearing scrubs, wearing white coats, wearing supermarket uniforms, together with everyone else working round the clock to protect us and keep the world functioning.

“You are our true heroes.”

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