Knox in battle to bank Ryder Cup wild card
SCOTS star Russell Knox will be hoping to stick a Ryder Cup wild card in the bank this week with a final flourish at The Barclays.
The PGA Tour event is the last tournament in the US before European skipper Darren Clarke names his three picks for the showdown with the Americans at Hazeltine.
Clarke’s nine automatic qualifiers were all confirmed before this week’s final count- ing event on the European points list in Denmark but the race for the wild cards remains full of intrigue.
Luke Donald made a late claim with a second place finish at The Wyndham Championship on Sunday while Graeme McDowell shared fifth.
The duo are well behind Knox on both the Fed Ex Cup rankings and the world rankings but they have eight Ryder Cup appearances between them and past experience could sway Clarke, particu- larly if they have another good week in New York.
The smart money is on Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer getting two of the three wild cards with Knox and others fighting it out for the final one.
The Inverness exile has two wins on the PGA Tour this season, sits fourth on the Fed Ex list and 20th in the world. He would be another rookie in a team which already has five debutants but Knox has more than proved his worth on the global stage.
A strong show at The Barclays should see him home and hosed but McDowell and others are still eager to make a late charge.
The Northern Irishman said: “The Ryder Cup is a shot in the dark for me but there is still a potential chance for me to impress Darren if I were to win or finish top three this week on top of what I managed to do in Greensboro.
“So if that were to happen I may appear on Darren’s radar but then you have Luke [Donald] who finished second at the Wyndham and he’s clearly playing well again and you’ve got Russell Knox who is playing incredible.
“Then there’s Shane [Lowry] who headed off to Denmark to show to Darren how much getting a captain’s pick would mean to him. So there are all sorts of scenarios unfolding.”
He added: “I am not trying to read Clarkey’s mind as I am just trying to do my thing and this week for me is all about the Fed Ex Cup play-offs.”