Darren Clarke has named Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters as his captain’s picks for the European Ryder Cup team.
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The three captain’s picks join the nine players who automatically qualified for the squad, which is comprised of six old hands and six Ryder Cup rookies.
The Northern Irishman announced the news on Tuesday at Wentworth and his decision sees the experienced duo of Westwood and Kaymer play in their 10th and fourth consecutive editions of the biennial event.
Clarke was looking to balance out the team with experienced wild-card picks, putting Luke Donald – another former No. 1 and a four-time Ryder Cup victor – in contention to join Westwood and Donald.
Not making the team, and probably the biggest snub, was Scotland’s Russell Knox, who bolstered his chances for making his first Ryder appearance by winning the Travelers Championship earlier this month. Pieters played golf at the University of IL so Midwest golf should be very familiar to him although he’s returned to play just three PGA TOUR events in the states since graduating. It was a bit of a relief to get the phone call from Darren.
The choice of Pieters came after a stunning victory in Denmark on Sunday, during which he posted a course-record 62 playing alongside Clarke, who admitted the Belgian’s emergence cost American-base Scot Russell Knox his place in the side.
Westwood is Europe’s second-highest points scorer in the Ryder Cup.
“It’s one of the most hard periods in the whole of my golfing career”, said Clarke, who added that the phone call to let down Knox was “one of the toughest I have ever had to make”.
The Ryder Cup is such a collective effort that I don’t like to single out individuals too much, but Westwood and Kaymer have many qualities. He has the talent to go all the way to the top of the world in my belief.
“I’m incredibly proud”, Westwood told reporters after being confirmed in the team.
“It’s going to be a very tough task, you can’t make any bones about that”. It feels pretty cool to be in the team.
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Thomas has won three tour events in the past year, the latest of those coming at the Made in Denmark tournament over the weekend. “I can’t wait to get on that plane and be with the team the whole week”.
