Wallace boosts Ryder Cup wild card hopes

MATT Wallace pressed his claims for a Ryder Cup wild card with a fourth European Tour victory since May 2017 in the final qualifying event in Silkeborg.

Wallace birdied five of his last six holes to finish 19 under par and get into an all-English fourman play-off with Lee Westwood, Steven Brown and Jonathan Thomson at the Made in Denmark event.

The quartet returned to the 18th for a suddendeath play-off and Brown piled the pressure on his opponents with an approach to three feet, but Wallace hit his to seven feet and both made birdie, while Westwood and Thomson were eliminated with pars.

Wallace and Brown headed back to the 18th and the former produced an even better approach to set up a winning birdie from four feet as European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn looked on.

Bjorn’s fellow Dane Thorbjorn Olesen had earlier secured the final automatic qualifying place on the team to face the United States at Le Golf National at the end of the month when Matt Fitzpatrick was unable to claim the victory he needed. Bjorn will name his four wild cards on Wednesday.

Asked if his win had given Bjorn a selection headache, Wallace said: “I’ve given myself one!

“That play-off was pretty mental, four-man, to keep the 100 per cent record going as well from the one in India [where he beat Andrew Johnston] is really nice.

“To do it in the style I’ve done it, I’ve birdied the last five holes including the two play-off holes, is pretty special. That just shows who

I am right there, my determination, my grit and that’s what I’m all about.”