It’s no rookie mistake to pick Thomas
DARREN CLARKE has no fears about adding a sixth rookie to his Ryder Cup team after labelling Belgian young gun Thomas Pieters a future world No1.
While two of Clarke’s wild-card picks went to cup stalwart Martin Kaymer and veteran Lee Westwood, the Ulsterman said he could not resist the claims of Pieters, 24, after his summer hot streak.
Clarke played with Pieters in the first round of last week’s Made in Denmark tournament and, after watching him shoot a 62, decided he would get the vote ahead of Scotsman Russell Knox, ranked No12 in the world.
“That was one of the finest 62s I have ever witnessed,” said Clarke. “He didn’t need to hole
RYDER CUP LINE-UP Rory McIlroy Danny Willett Henrik Stenson Chris Wood Sergio Garcia Justin Rose Rafael Cabrera-Bello Andy Sullivan Matt Fitzpatrick Lee Westwood Martin Kaymer Thomas Pieters
any putts of any length, he just made the game look ridiculously easy.
“He has the talent to go all the way to the top of the world. He’s certainly going to do that – there’s no question of that.
“It was a very close decision between Thomas and Russell, and Thomas showed me that bit more.
“I played with Tiger Woods when he was an amateur in the Open at Lytham and I saw a lot of Rory McIlroy when he was a kid, and Thomas has impressed me the same way as those guys.” Clarke’s team – with Europe bidding for a record fourth straight win over the USA – look light on experience but among the rookies are this year’s Masters victor Danny Willett and PGA champion Chris Wood.
And by handing his other two wild cards to his oldest golfing chum Westwood, who will be making his 10th straight appearance, and German Kaymer, he also has some peerless cup pedigree. Although when told his brief would be to be the ‘general’ in the European team room, Westwood was slightly taken aback.
“A general is above a captain, so I am not sure I’ll feel like that,” he said. “I am going to leave all the big decisions up to Darren.”
Westwood said he was relieved to get the captain’s call ahead of other experienced campaigners, such as Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell.
And like Clarke, he has every confidence his team will be able to handle the pressures of playing in front of a hostile American crowd at Hazeltine, with the event starting on September 30.
“The rookies on our team are experienced at playing in the States,” he said.
“Danny Willett is the Masters champion and we have people who have won the US Amateur Championship. It’s going to be a very close contest. Obviously the crowd will be on their side but we’ve come up against that before.
“It will be tough. But I look at our rookies, and I don’t see them as rookies. A lot of the players have strong character and can take it, can take a fight and a bit of stick.”
US captain Davis Love III has until September 25 to select his four wild cards.