Belgian rookie Thomas Pieters and experienced duo Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer were named by Europe captain Darren Clarke as wildcard picks on Tuesday to complete his Ryder Cup team.
Advertisement
Knox, who has won two PGA Tour titles this season, totally deserved a place in the team, but Pieters has been exceptional lately.
Clarke, with five debutants on his team already as automatic qualifiers, did draw on some further experience as he revealed his three wildcards to take on Davis Love III’s US outfit, naming Lee Westwood for his tenth Ryder Cup appearance and two-time major champion Martin Kaymer. He also finished third in Thailand and second in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
Pieters stood out, though, after an impressive run of finishes over the past month: Fourth place at the Olympics, second place at the Czech Masters, and then a third victory in the past year at the Made in Denmark where he birdied the last three holes to win.
Before lunchtime, the 38-year-old Englishman was as high as 5/2 with bookmaker William Hill to be selected by captain Darren Clarke, with that falling to 2/1, then 6/4, in the minutes and hours that followed before betting was suspended on the market at around 2pm (pic below) with him at 1/100. The Englishman, now ranked 46th in the world, holds a 20-15-6 record in nine Ryder Cup appearances. “(The American) team is shaping up very strongly, but my players are world class in their own right.
“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”.
Clarke admits telling Knox he had missed out was one of the toughest moments of his career, but believes Pieters has the ability to win major championships and become world number one.
“I saw I was one back walking to the green on 16 and hit a great shot there, but knew I needed at least one more”, he added.
That means there will be no “fear factor” in facing such players at Hazeltine, but the three-time European Tour victor added: “It’s going to be a matter of dealing with the crowds I think”.
There was no joy for Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry while England’s Luke Donald and Scotland’s Russell Knox were others under consideration.
Knox said: “It’s certainly motivated me for the next three weeks, that’s for sure”. I have seen a lot of players. “I can’t wait to tee it up and give it 110 per cent”.
Clarke said his call to Knox, the world No20, was “really, really hard to make”, with the Scot seeking to make a rookie appearance of his own.
Advertisement
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. Russell has played unbelievably well over the qualification period. Of course I feel like I deserve to be there and should be playing but I’m not, so I have to respect the decision. “He’s good for the dynamic of the team”, said Rose. “I’m old. He’s gifted and amusing, and I’m delighted to have him part of team”.
