Joakim Haeggman has revealed the lengths he is prepared to go to in his position as assistant to European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer.

Haeggman has been asked to repeat the role he performed for Sam Torrance at The Belfry in 2002 when the European team defend the trophy at Oakland Hills in September.

The Swede said: "Whatever the players want, you do.

"If they want a clean pair of socks, you get it; if they want a three-wood or tickets for their wives, that is what you do, because you have to keep them happy to let them focus on the game.

"I said to Thomas Bjorn at The Belfry, if you want me to clean your shoes for you then today is the day, you can forget it the rest of the year. Anything Bernhard asks me, I will do."

Haeggman will not be the only Swede among Langer's backroom staff after the German somewhat surprisingly appointed Anders Forsbrand as his vice-captain.

The decision raised a few eyebrows, but Haeggman added: "It was an interesting choice but he has been friends with Bernhard for a long time.

"One of the main reasons has to be that Anders lives out in America and will have a chance to go and see all the players. As the years have progressed we have had more and more players in the United States, so he can look after them through the summer and see how they do, and he can also go to Oakland Hills on a regular basis."

In fact, Haeggman could be one of the players on the team after his victory in the Qatar Masters earlier this year and several other good performances. He had a solid start in the Spanish Open yesterday with a round of 69.