Johan Ruijsink
UNDEFEATED EUROPEAN captain Johan Ruijsink returns to the fray for one last time as he assumes captaincy duties for Team EUROPE when the 20th annual Mosconi Cup takes place at the Mirage, Las Vegas from 2nd to 5th December.
The 47 year-old Dutchman will be making his sixth appearance at the annual Europe v USA team event and so far a team in his charge has yet to be beaten. Ruijsink first took charge in 2006 when he stopped the rot with a draw in Rotterdam following three successive American victories.
He followed that up with an epic, if heated, victory on American soil in 2007; the first by a European team in the US. The Dutchman then skipped the next two as Alex Lely took charge, but returned in 2010 at the York Hall as he masterminded the first of a run of three consecutive victories.
“I’m particularly looking forward to this one as it is the 20th anniversary of the Mosconi Cup, it is in the US and next to that it will be my last captaincy, so three very good reasons to be highly motivated to win this one,” said Ruijsink.
“My mind is already working out the right direction for the European team, because I know the Americans and their fans will do all they can to prevent us from winning.
“As usual it will be a huge challenge to beat the top Americans, but I am very confident we can bring the right players from Europe to do the job. We have put ourselves in the driver’s seat the last couple of years and we are not going to give this advantage away.
“We fully respect the American players and their game, but I feel we have the better players, the better attitude and nowadays we have bigger hearts. I can't wait though, so bring it on!”
Tickets are available from www.ticketmaster.com (Search ‘Mosconi Cup’) or directly from the Mirage on (+1) 702 792 7777 or 1-800-963-9634.
