Mark James

English golfer who played in seven Ryder Cups before captaining the controversial 1999 European team at the 'Battle of Brookline'.

Born on 28 October 1953 in Manchester, England, Mark James won the English Amateur Championship in 1974 and represented Great Britain and Ireland at the Walker Cup in 1975 before turning professional in 1976, when he was named the European Tour's Rookie of the Year. Nicknamed 'Jesse' after the American outlaw, James built a long career on the European Tour, winning 18 times between 1978 and 1997 across 574 tour appearances. James represented Europe in the Ryder Cup seven times, in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1995, and was part of the winning 1995 team as well as the tied 1989 side that retained the trophy. His 1979 Ryder Cup appearance drew controversy when his and teammate Ken Brown's behaviour was described by future captain Tony Jacklin as 'a total disgrace', resulting in fines and a temporary ban from international team events. James's most notable role came as European captain at the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline, Massachusetts, an event that became known as the 'Battle of Brookline' due to the American team's boisterous, sometimes ill-tempered celebrations. James was criticised for benching rookies Jean Van de Velde, Jarmo Sandelin and Andrew Coltart throughout the first two days, only for all three to lose their singles matches on the final day as the United States overturned a 10-6 deficit to win. James wrote a best-selling account of the controversial captaincy, Into the Bear Pit, followed by a second book documenting his subsequent fight against testicular cancer, diagnosed in 2000. He returned to competitive golf after treatment and later became the first European player to win a Senior Major, the 2004 Senior Players Championship, before building a respected career as a BBC golf broadcaster.

Versatile, consistent European Tour professional

A long-serving Ryder Cup player and captain, later a respected golf broadcaster