Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood were left inspired after Pádraig Harrington showed them a motivational video which was inspired by a new theme for his team this year called ‘Make it count’.
The video celebrates the rare achievement of making an appearance for Team Europe. In the entire history of the Ryder Cup, only 164 players have represented this team. To underline the rarity of this achievement, the video explains that 5,780 people have reached the summit of Mount Everest, 570 people have been into space. In the world of sports, 445 players have won the Men’s soccer World Cup and 353 Europeans have won track & field gold.
Speaking about the video, McIlroy explained that Harrington showed them the video on their first time together as an entire team on Monday night.
"He played a video for us last night to put it into context," he said. "570 people have been into space. I think over 5,000 people have climbed Everest. 225 have won a men's major. When you sort of break it down like that it's a pretty small group and it's pretty cool."
"I'm No. 144; I think Lee is No. 118. But then you just look at all the players before you, and you look at Bernd Wiesberger who's making his debut this year who's No. 164.
"It's a small collection of people that have played for Europe in the Ryder Cup. I think that's what brings us very close together, and that's been one of our sort of big focus points this week is just being here is very special and being part of a European team. Very few people can call themselves a European Ryder Cup player."
"It was very powerful," added Garcia, who said it was the first time he'd thought about what his number was.
"I didn't know my number. I've always known that being a part of the Ryder Cup team is very difficult, but I didn't know that only that little amount of players have made it. So that showed you how difficult it really is.
"That's why every time I'm a part of a team or the rest of our team-mates, that's why we give it the respect that it deserves, because it's so difficult to be a part of it. It's an honour, and we treat it like that."
Also asked the question, Westwood said that it was something he was also very proud of.
"We've all got numbers. Mine is the smallest number, obviously, 118. But yeah, it's something to be very proud of, being able to pull on the clothing with the European team crest on it."
The team rooms this year celebrate the theme, highlighting the rarity of the achievement and the famous names who have also earned their numbers. Some of the team kit this year also carries the player number, including the bag and head covers
The full list of players is below. The list is compiled by each player earning their number the first time they make the team. This is done in alphabetical order of rookies, so this year Viktor Hovland (162), Shane Lowry (163) and Bernd Wiesberger (164) are earning their numbers for the first time.
Also making up this year's team: Lee Westwood (118), Sergio Garcia (120), Paul Casey (130), Ian Poulter (134), Rory McIlroy (144), Matt Fitzpatrick (152), Tommy Fleetwood (157), Tyrrell Hatton (158) and Jon Rahm (161).
The 164 members of Ryder Cup Team Europe
1 Aubrey Boomer 1927
2 Archie Compston 1927
3 George Duncan 1927
4 George Gadd 1927
5 Arthur Havers 1927
6 Herbert Jolly 1927
7 Ted Ray 1927
8 Fred Robson 1927
9 Charles Whitcombe 1927
10 Percy Alliss 1929
11 Stewart Burns 1929
12 Henry Cotton 1929
13 Abe Mitchell 1929
14 Ernest Whitcombe 1929
15 Bill Davies 1931
16 Syd Easterbrook 1931
17 Bert Hodson 1931
18 Allan Dailey 1933
19 Arthur Lacey 1933
20 Alf Padgham 1933
21 Alf Perry 1933
22 Dick Burton 1935
23 Jack Busson 1935
24 Bill Cox 1935
25 Ted Jarman 1935
26 Reg Whitcombe 1935
27 Sam King 1937
28 Dai Rees 1937
29 Jimmy Adams 1947
30 Fred Daly 1947
31 Max Faulkner 1947
32 Eric Green 1947
33 Reg Horne 1947
34 Arthur Lees 1947
35 Charlie Ward 1947
36 Laurie Ayton, Jnr 1949
37 Ken Bousfield 1949
38 Jack Hargreaves 1951
39 John Panton 1951
40 Harry Weetman 1951
41 Peter Alliss 1953
42 Harry Bradshaw 1953
43 Eric Brown 1953
44 Bernard Hunt 1953
45 John Fallon 1955
46 John Jacobs 1955
47 Christy O'Connor Snr 1955
48 Syd Scott 1955
49 Peter Mills 1957
50 Norman Drew 1959
51 Dave Thomas 1959
52 Neil Coles 1961
53 Tom Haliburton 1961
54 Ralph Moffitt 1961
55 Brian Huggett 1963
56 Geoffrey Hunt 1963
57 George Will 1963
58 Peter Butler 1965
59 Jimmy Hitchcock 1965
60 Jimmy Martin 1965
61 Lionel Platts 1965
62 Hugh Boyle 1967
63 Malcolm Gregson 1967
64 Tony Jacklin 1967
65 Brian Barnes 1969
66 Maurice Bembridge 1969
67 Alex Caygill 1969
68 Bernard Gallacher 1969
69 Peter Townsend 1969
70 Harry Bannerman 1971
71 John Garner 1971
72 Peter Oosterhuis 1971
73 Clive Clark 1973
74 Eddie Polland 1973
75 Eamonn Darcy 1975
76 Tommy Horton 1975
77 Guy Hunt 1975
78 Christy O'Connor Jnr 1975
79 John O'Leary 1975
80 Norman Wood 1975
81 Ken Brown 1977
82 Howard Clark 1977
83 Peter Dawson 1977
84 Nick Faldo 1977
85 Mark James 1977
86 Seve Ballesteros 1979
87 Antonio Garrido 1979
88 Michael King 1979
89 Sandy Lyle 1979
90 Des Smyth 1979
91 José Maria Cañizares 1981
92 Bernhard Langer 1981
93 Manuel Piñero 1981
94 Sam Torrance 1981
95 Gordon J. Brand 1983
96 Brian Waites 1983
97 Paul Way 1983
98 Ian Woosnam 1983
99 José Rivero 1985
100 Gordon Brand, Jnr 1987
101 José María Olazábal 1987
102 Ronan Rafferty 1989
103 Paul Broadhurst 1991
104 David Feherty 1991
105 David Gilford 1991
106 Colin Montgomerie 1991
107 Steven Richardson 1991
108 Peter Baker 1993
109 Joakim Haeggman 1993
110 Barry Lane 1993
111 Costantino Rocca 1993
112 Per-Ulrik Johansson 1995
113 Philip Walton 1995
114 Thomas Bjørn 1997
115 Darren Clarke 1997
116 Ignacio Garrido 1997
117 Jesper Parnevik 1997
118 Lee Westwood 1997
119 Andrew Coltart 1999
120 Sergio García 1999
121 Pádraig Harrington 1999
122 Miguel Ángel Jiménez 1999
123 Paul Lawrie 1999
124 Jarmo Sandelin 1999
125 Jean van de Velde 1999
126 Niclas Fasth 2002
127 Pierre Fulke 2002
128 Paul McGinley 2002
129 Phillip Price 2002
130 Paul Casey 2004
131 Luke Donald 2004
132 David Howell 2004
133 Thomas Levet 2004
134 Ian Poulter 2004
135 Robert Karlsson 2006
136 Henrik Stenson 2006
137 Søren Hansen 2008
138 Graeme McDowell 2008
139 Justin Rose 2008
140 Oliver Wilson 2008
141 Ross Fisher 2010
142 Peter Hanson 2010
143 Martin Kaymer 2010
144 Rory McIlroy 2010
145 Edoardo Molinari 2010
146 Francesco Molinari 2010
147 Nicolas Colsaerts 2012
148 Jamie Donaldson 2014
149 Victor Dubuisson 2014
150 Stephen Gallacher 2014
151 Rafael Cabrera-Bello 2016
152 Matthew Fitzpatrick 2016
153 Thomas Pieters 2016
154 Andy Sullivan 2016
155 Danny Willett 2016
156 Chris Wood 2016
157 Tommy Fleetwood 2018
158 Tyrrell Hatton 2018
159 Alex Norén 2018
160 Thorbjørn Olesen 2018
161 Jon Rahm 2018
162 Viktor Hovland 2020
163 Shane Lowry 2020
164 Bernd Wiesberger 2020
