It is an image which remains delightfully fresh.

Seeing one his young recruits, Thomas Bjorn, go four down after four to Justin Leonard in the Ryder Cup singles at Valderrama in 1997, skipper Seve Ballesteros urged the Dane to relax.

Whereupon Bjorn screamed the reply: "I am relaxed."

Reflecting yesterday on a match which delivered a most improbable half to the European cause, Bjorn was clearly pleased to be returning to such pressurised action. But he made it clear that he wants it only on certain terms.

"I don't want my friendship with American players to be put in jeopardy for the sake of a golf tournament," he said.

"And this is the time for us to get our attitude right. This is the time for us to insist that what will be happening at The Belfry next month is a sport, not something sinister that will leave a bad taste."

Bjorn is aware of the significant, upward step he took as a quality player when he outscored Tiger Woods, among others, to capture the Desert Classic in Dubai last March. So, he doesn't consider it necessary to try to boost his own status through some Ryder Cup hype.

"Everybody seems to feel that we have the basis of a European team which is capable of regaining the trophy," he said.

"That's good enough for me. And between now and when the first ball is struck at The Belfry, I don't want any part in a hate-America campaign.

"I want to beat them and still be able to enjoy the company of a number of their players. That's what competitive sport is supposed to be about.

"The Sunday at Valderrama when I halved with Justin Leonard was the biggest thrill of my career, but it wasn't the most important. Dubai was a lot more important in pure golfing terms."

Bjorn, who admits to having been desperately unhappy at missing out on the team for Brookline, expressed surprise at the absence of Tom Lehman from next month's US line-up.

"Most of the guys expected Paul Azinger to be picked and it looked as if Lehman would get the other slot, even though it wasn't so clear cut," he said.

"Lehman was an inspirational figure at Brookline and it's safe to say that it would be a cause for far more concern among the European players to see him in the side rather than Scott Verplank."

FIRESTONE CC TEE-OFF TIMES (BST)

(USA unless stated)

4.10: K Triplett

4.20: M Calcavecchia, P McGinley (Ire)

4.30: C Franco (Par), J Furyk

4.40: N Begay, S Elkington (Aus)

4.50: D Duval, L Westwood (Brit )

5.00: MA Jimenez (Spa), P Price (Brit )

5.10: L Roberts, T Bjorn (Den)

5.20: S Cink, R Allenby (Aus)

5.30: S Appleby (Aus), P Fulke (Swe)

5.40: N Price (Zim), T Woods

5.50: S Verplank, I Poulter (Brit )

6.00: S Maruyama (Jpn), H Sutton

6.10: P Harrington (Ire), D Toms

6.20: C Montgomerie (Brit ), D Love

6.30: D Clarke (NIrl), M Weir (Can)

6.40: R Goosen (Rsa), P Mickelson

6.50: N Fasth (Swe), V Singh (Fij)

7.00: M Campbell (Nzl), S Hoch

7.10: E Els (Rsa), B Langer (Ger)

7.20: P Azinger, G Norman (Aus)