European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke smiles during a press conference at Wentworth Golf Club, Virginia Waters, England Tuesday Aug. 30, 2016. In addition to Donald, the list is expected to include Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood.
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(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File).
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File). I’ve always been a big Thomas Pieters fan from when I first witnessed how he hits the golf ball.
Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell has said he is “gutted” not to have made Darren Clarke’s final line-up for the Ryder Cup. Most debated was the final pick, which went to Pieters.
Knox did not play this month in the Wyndham Championship, where Donald bounced back to form by finishing second.
And, from an Irish perspective, given us something of a reality check with just McIlroy on the 12-man team.
“He brings a bit more of the X-factor”.
“Some people would say he deserved a position on the team”. “He will be a star”.
“Lee and Martin were pretty obvious ones”, captain Clarke said of his choices.
Captain Clarke played the first two rounds of the Made in Denmark alongside Pieters last Thursday and Friday.
“Narrowing it down to those three wildcards has been a very hard process”.
Already on the European team as automatic qualifiers are four-time major champion and former world number one Rory McIlroy, current world number four and Open Championship victor Henrik Stenson, Masters champion Danny Willett, Olympic gold medalist and former U.S. Open champ Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Chris Wood, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Westwood is set to take part in his 10 Ryder Cup, while Kaymer will be making his sixth appearance at Hazeltine. He becomes the second Belgian to play in The Ryder Cup after Nicolas Colsaerts in 2012.
Despite his disappointment at missing out on selection for the biennial clash at Hazeltine, Minnesota, starting on 30 September, Knox was magnanimous in hailing Pieters as a future “superstar” of the game.
Knox would have qualified if he had been a European Tour member when he won the WGC-HSBC Champions last November and boosted his case by adding the Travelers Championship earlier this month.
Had he finished high in that tournament he may have been able to leapfrog Matthew Fitzpatrick into the ninth and last automatic qualifying berth. I am very proud to have someone of that talent in the team. “I feel like I deserve to be on the team, but it wasn’t my call, obviously”.
After five rookies made it on merit last week, captain Darren Clarke added one more on Tuesday, but he also called upon some depth and experience for his squad.
Team Europe has showed its hand – now it’s over to you Team USA.
But equally as impressive was the way he closed the tournament at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, almost acing the iconic par three 16th hole but settling for birdie, and then also picking up shots on the final two holes.
Pieters carded a six-under-par 65 to take his third European Tour title on 17 under par overall.
“It’s been a little bit insane”, Pieters said.
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“It’s nice to come in second but I want to be holding the trophy at the end of the day”.
