Pieters was fourth in the Olympics and second in the defence of his Czech Masters title last week to force his name into the frame for one of European captain Darren Clarke’s three wild cards. He played the first two rounds with Clarke and opened with a course record-equalling 62 before giving a masterclass in scrambling in a level par 71 on Friday.
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Joakim Lagergren eventually made a triple bogey on the last hole to drop back to 13 under par, finishing in fifth position, while another player hoping to make the Ryder Cup team, Martin Kaymer, closed with a round of 68 to share sixth place on 11 under par with South African Jaco Van Zyl. By that measure Scotland’s Russell Knox, who has two PGA Tour wins this season, and in-form Belgian Thomas Pieters, who underlined his credentials by winning in Denmark on Sunday, are the leading contenders.
The towering 24-year-old rose to the occasion under pressure on the final day, making seven birdies and dropping just one shot to win by a solitary shot from Bradley Dredge.
“I really needed a good finish”.
The 24-year-old nearly holed his tee-shot to the par-three 16th, pitched to six inches for a tap-in birdie at 17, and he followed a flawless drive with a delightful approach to five feet at the last which he converted to seal his third European Tour title. “I saw I was one back walking to the green on 16 and I hit a great shot there but I knew I needed to make at least one more”. To finish with two more birdies was pretty cool.
Five of the nine automatic selections, Danny Willett, Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Matt Fitzpatrick, are Ryder Cup rookies so Clarke may decide to balance his 12-man team by going for experience with his wildcards.
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As for his own prospects, the man who secured the point to retain the trophy at Medinah in 2012 added: “I think I’ve done as much as I can, but it would be another great experience of a golfing career to play four Ryder Cups in a row.it would be fantastic”.
