European captain Darren Clarke has chosen Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters as his three wild cards for the Ryder Cup match against the U.S. at Hazeltine from September 30th-October 2nd.
Advertisement
The 24-year-old Belgian will be one of six Ryder Cup rookies on a European team seeking an unprecedented fourth straight victory in golf’s biggest team event.
Belgium’s Thomas Pieters admitted he had given Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke a major selection headache after producing a brilliant finish to claim his third European Tour title in the Made in Denmark event.
In addition to this Clarke told Sky Sports News HQ on his decision of including Westwood and Kaymer and said “In Lee Westwood I’ve got one of the most experienced “Ryder Cuppers” of all time”. “(The American) team is shaping up very strongly, but my players are world class in their own right.
“It’s going to be hard for me to watch (the Ryder Cup) but I probably will and I’ll be rooting for the team of course”.
The third pick seems to be between Pieters, Scotland’s Russell Knox and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland who has played in each of the last four editions.
“Let’s be honest, it came down to Thomas Pieters or me. I am proud of this team and have no worries about them at all”.
The widely-held belief is that Clarke will opt for Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer due to their experience, and then decide on his third wildcard on the basis of recent form. It is the first time that Irish golf has only had one representative on the European team since coincidentally Clarke’s debut, in 1997, under the late Seve Ballesteros at Valderrama.
Europe will be attempting to retain the cup at the September 30-October 2 matches at Hazeltine in Minnesota.
Clarke said Luke Donald – another former No. 1 and a four-time Ryder Cup victor – and Graeme McDowell would also have been in contention to join Westwood and Kaymer, if their form was better.
The Scot is arguably the most unlucky player to miss out on a captain’s pick for Team Europe, as he missed automatic qualifying by a single place.
The Belgian won the Made in Denmark title at the weekend, after a fourth-place finish at the Rio Olympics and a runner-up spot at the Czech Masters. Russell has played unbelievably well over the qualification period.
“Having to phone Russell yesterday and give him the information was probably one of the toughest phone calls I’ve ever had to make”.
Advertisement
“He’s very long off the tee and has a great short game so I think maybe the captain has the option of playing him in many different formats with many different players”. “I have to respect the decision he made and get on with it”. “We can say, ‘Hey, we ran the numbers and dissected the course and together you guys are unbeatable.’ Knowing why you’re playing with a guy can do so much to boost confidence”.
