Love beckoning for ladies in American team at Hazeltine

YOU might think the wives are there simply to look glamorous at a Ryder Cup and add a touch of sparkle to the proceedings. But you would be wrong.

American Ryder Cup captain Davis Love has made the astonishing revelation that not only will he be taking into account the chemistry of the players when choosing his four wild cards but their wives as well.

‘I have some flexibility when it comes to making some pairings and to have some fun guys in the team room and even, you don’t think about it, but the wives as well,’ he said. ‘When we pick, we’re a group of 24, 26 people going on a mission and you have to make sure you have good team chemistry.’

And there we were, thinking the likes of Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler were stick-ons for picks, when all this time we should have been considering the merits of Mrs Reed, and Rickie’s photogenic girlfriend. Love by name and nature, it seems.

As for Europe, place yourself for a minute in Matt Fitzpatrick’s shoes on Friday evening. Just 21, the Sheffield starlet is presently holding on to the ninth and last automatic qualifying berth.

Over the last month he’s had a horrid time of it, so bad in fact that captain Darren Clarke has rung him on a number of occasions to offer counsel.

From France to Scotland to Canada, Fitzpatrick has been on the wrong side of the draw practically every week and missed four halfway cuts in a row.

So to Friday night, where he was resigned to a familiar hard luck tale at the US PGA Championship. He had played well in the second round for a valued 70 that left him on two over par. He seemed certain to be around for the weekend.

Except the clouds disappeared, the sun came out, and life become almost comically easier for those blessed with an afternoon tee time. The cut, which seemed likely to fall at three over, now started veering almost by the minute between one and two over. ‘I know how this works, it’s going to finish on one over,’ said the Englishman. If it had, it would have been a severe blow to his Ryder Cup hopes.

Thankfully, fate smiled kindly in his direction. With almost the last shot of the day, American Roberto Castro had a chance to move the cut to one over but his 12ft birdie putt slipped by the hole. Fitzpatrick was in for the weekend.

There was nothing startling about his play in yesterday’s third round. He ended up with a 70, but he needed that boost on Friday.

This weekend is a big one for Germany’s Martin Kaymer who was sixth at halfway and needs a top two finish to pass Fitzpatrick. In reality, he’s probably done enough already to warrant a wild card alongside Lee Westwood, should he not manage it.

Then there was Jamie Donaldson, the man who holed the winning putt at Gleneagles in 2014. Rounds of 69 and 67 left him just five off the pace after two rounds.

One shot nearer the lead was Open champion Henrik Stenson. Has any man ever collected two majors in the space of 15 days? The Swede had certainly given himself a chance after two rounds of 67.

One man he’d have to pass was defending champion Jason Day who moved to within two of the lead with a second round 65.

Out in front after two rounds were two who had hardly registered a good score all season — Americans Jimmy Walker and Robert Streb. The former has been a shadow of the man who played in the last Ryder Cup while the latter has forgotten what top 10 looks like.

So, of course, this being golf, Walker almost because the first man to shoot 129 for 36 holes at a major before eventually settling for a not so trifling 131, while Streb reached nine under by becoming the 30th man to shoot 63 in a major.

As they savoured the moment Dustin Johnson, one of the game’s form horses, missed the cut in spectacular fashion. What an impossible game to predict.