THOMAS PIETERS (Belgium): Age 24; Caps 0; Majors 0.
Advertisement
Captain Clarke played the first two rounds of the Made in Denmark alongside Pieters last Thursday and Friday.
Captain Davis Love III has until September 25 to choose his four wild cards. Pieters has had a great run of late, winning the Made in Denmark last week, finishing second at the D+D REAL Czech Masters, and fourth at the Olympics. “We won’t know”, Clarke said. 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 had been widely expected to turn to experienced Ryder Cup campaigners Westwood and Kaymer, but Pieters was picked ahead of Scotland’s Russell Knox who was the highest ranked player not to qualify automatically.
“Three weeks ago Russell Knox would have been on the team, but Thomas Pieters showed great form past year”. That’s been an incredibly tough decision.
“Having to phone Russell yesterday and give him the information was probably one of the toughest phone calls I’ve ever had to make”.
Under the severest of pressure, given that his Ryder Cup place was in the balance, the Belgian was magnificent down the stretch, hitting shot of the day contenders as he birdied 16, 17 and 18.
“It would be another great experience of a golfing career to play four Ryder Cups in a row… it would be unbelievable”, said Kaymer who holed the putt that kept the trophy in Europe’s possession in the “Miracle at Medinah” in IL in 2012. No one can forget the putt he holed at Medinah a few years ago.
Swallowing the disappointment he had anticipated, McDowell admitted: “I’m gutted not to be part of Darren Clarke’s Ryder Cup Europe team”.
Referring to Westwood and Kaymer, Clarke added on Sky Sports News HQ: “In Lee Westwood I’ve got one of the most experienced “Ryder Cuppers” of all time. He’s good for the dynamic of the team”, said Rose.
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. The trio join the nine automatic qualifiers on captain Darren Clarke’s team which will attempt to beat Team USA for a record fourth consecutive time at Hazeltine. Garcia, for instance, could pair with countryman Cabrera-Bello, just the way Spain’s Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal once paired so successfully. In Pieters over Knox, it was rookie over rookie, certainly with more upside toward the future in choosing the one who is seven years younger. Russell has played unbelievably well over the qualification period.
DARREN CLARKE will take a huge gamble on Thomas Pieters as one of his Ryder Cup wildcards – meaning he has SIX rookies.
“To win that tournament in the manner that he did (with birdies on the last three holes) impressed me and I found it impossible to leave him off the team”.
So he made sure he didn’t.
Advertisement
United States captain Davis Love III will reveal three of his four picks on September 11, and will make his final selection on September 25.
