Ruud Gullit knows what it takes to play in a team. As one of the central figures in the outstanding AC Milan team of the 1980s and the Dutch side that won Euro ‘88, Gullit is accustomed to performing alongside others. He’ll be doing exactly that this week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, when he will pair up with defending champion Tyrrell Hatton to take to the Old Course at St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie.
Ahead of his appearance at this year’s edition, europeantour.com caught up with Gullit to talk about the dynamics of a team, first tee nerves and his love for The Ryder Cup.
Q) Many athletes from other sports say nothing is more nerve-wracking than standing on the tee – why is that?
A) It’s absolutely true. That’s because you’re not fully in control of golf. You’re trying to learn something completely opposite to what you’re used to doing, but you also have too much time. When you play football, you make decisions in a split second and just react to things. On a football pitch, players make mistakes when they have too much time, like free-kicks and penalties.
The reason a lot of footballers love golf is because after our careers we can’t play with other people, but with golf you can play golf with anybody. This makes it a real social gathering.
Q) How did you feel the first time you came here?
The first time I came here I was so nervous. Europe had just won The Ryder Cup and I played with Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood. I was already nervous on the first tee, but then you’ve got a couple of thousand other people watching because of who I was with. For me, it was great to hear from them what it was like to play for a team instead of just playing for yourself.
We’re curious about each other’s environment. Darren told me that when you win a tournament, everybody in your town says ‘well done.’ But when you win The Ryder Cup, people in every village want to say well done!
Q) Which spots do you spend time in when you’re here in St Andrews?
A) The Jigger Inn is of course the most famous place we go to and there are some nice Thai restaurants, too. I’ve also spoken to the students at the university before about my profession. What I find is that this week is very much like a big family. People are busy working all year long, but then they come here and everybody is happy. You let all the misery go behind you and come here to be like kids!
