• Thomas Bjørn and Jim Furyk visited a local school in Guyancourt
• Youngsters are studying a Ryder Cup educational programme, Mon Carnet de Golf
• Visit was part of the 2018 Year to Go celebrations

Pupils from a school close to The 2018 Ryder Cup host venue Le Golf National today had a special visit from captains Thomas Bjørn and Jim Furyk, with the nine and ten year olds showcasing their work as part of an educational programme which is inspired by the biennial contest between Europe and the United States.

Bjørn and Furyk are in France for The 2018 Ryder Cup Year to Go celebrations, and their first official engagement was to meet the children from class CM2 at Ecole Robert Desnos, in Guyancourt, who have been studying the Mon Carnet de Golf curriculum.

The educational programme aims to introduce golf and The Ryder Cup to French schoolchildren, integrating the biennial contest into a wide range of subjects.

European Captain Bjørn and United States Captain Furyk were greeted at the gates of the school by class teacher Florence Coquart, Marie-Christine Letarnec, the Mayor of Guyancourt and Serge Clément, the local area educational representative.

The captains, along with officials from Ryder Cup Europe, the PGA of America and the French Golf Federation, then visited the youngsters in their classroom, the party greeted by waving flags in support of both continents.

To mark their visit, the two captains were presented with good luck giftboxes and, in return, Bjørn and Furyk presented the school with a special Ryder Cup book signed by them both.

Richard Hills, European Ryder Cup Director, said: “The Ryder Cup educational programme is a fantastic initiative which helps leave a lasting legacy in the host country. It was a huge success in Scotland in 2014 and it is great to see the youngsters in Frances really engaging with it.

“Mon Carnet de Golf helps introduce a new generation to the game of golf through wider learning, and hopefully Thomas and Jim’s visit will help inspire these pupils even further.”

Pascal Grizot, Chairman of Ryder Cup France 2018, said: “I am very happy that both Ryder Cup captains have decided to visit one of the many classrooms in France involved in the Mon Carnet de Golf programme. The captains’ visit is an important statement of support to this national educational programme, which is driven by school teachers.

“Mon Carnet de Golf shows children can learn golf in a fun way. Introducing golf to children is a great way to overcome the negative images golf sometimes has and allows them to discover the great benefits of the game. I hope the French pubic will also be able to see golf in this way.”

Le Golf National, France, will host The 2018 Ryder Cup from September 28-30, 2018, when Europe will try to regain the Ryder Cup following defeat at Hazeltine National last year. Bjørn’s team will be looking to extend an impressive winning record on home soil which stretches back to Valderrama in 1997.