Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters will fill out the European team as Darren Clarke’s captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine next month.
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Westwood and Kaymer had always been favourites to be selected and finished 13th and 14th on the world points list respectively, with Westwood securing a 10th consecutive appearance in the event and Kaymer a fourth.
Knox said to play the Wyndham Championship would have meant playing eight out of 10 weeks through the Ryder Cup and “I probably would be burned out when I got to Hazeltine”. A full-time PGA Tour member, he broke through for two victories this season, but his WGC-HSBC Champions title last fall didn’t count toward the Ryder Cup points list; otherwise he would have automatically qualified. The 24-year-old impressed Clarke while playing alongside him at the Made in Denmark tournament, where he won the title after opening rounds of 62 and 71.
But while the Inverness-born 31-year-old respected the captain’s judgement, he vowed to bounce back with a defiant display at the forthcoming FedEx Cup to show Clarke that he’s made a mistake.
“Clarke added: “Prior to that there was a few other contenders I was thinking about as well, but he went out and played unbelievably and shot 62”.
He drives beautifully, has prodigious distance and his iron play and short game are also very good, so he has all the attributes you could need for the Ryder Cup. “If I hadn’t hit it in the water three times at the 17th at the Players I might have won there and then I’d definitely be on the team”.
But he admitted he had endured sleepless nights in deciding between Knox and Pieters, having locked in Westwood and Kaymer as his first two selections. I found it impossible to leave him off the team.
“I’m very disappointed not to have made the team”, Knox said.
“It’s going to be hard for me to watch it, but I probably will, and I’ll be rooting for the team of course”. Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald had an argument with their experience to join that, but they would admit that they have not been on top of their game.
Westwood and Kaymer’s inclusions are not a surprise, but it was the selection of Pieters that seemed to cause Clarke the most problems. “They can not wait to get on that plane to go to Hazeltine and do all of Europe proud”. Had a celebrated amateur college career in America, where he overcame Major victor Jordan Spieth and former world amateur number one Patrick Cantlay to win the NCAA Division I Golf Championship in his sophomore year at the University of IL.
Clarke is happy with his final line-up as Europe plot a third straight defence of the cup.
“In two years’ time, I hope myself and a couple of other Scottish guys are on the team”.
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“I lost some sleep over it on Friday and Saturday night, not because I was really nervous, but there was so much going on and everybody is asking about it and I think it just gets to you a little bit”.
