Darren Clarke goes all in with SIX rookies including Thomas Pieters in Ryder Cup picks
DARREN CLARKE will take a huge gamble on Thomas Pieters as one of his Ryder Cup wildcards — meaning he has SIX rookies.
And with Lee Westwood joining Martin Kaymer as the skipper’s other two picks, half of the 12-strong Europe team are Englishmen.
Pieters, adding to the five rookies to qualify automatically, may seem like a dangerous option.
But given the Belgian’s stunning recent form, Clarke probably felt he had no choice.
Pieters, 24, followed his fourth place at the Olympics by winning the Made in Denmark title on Sunday — having failed to defend his Czech Masters title by just one shot in between those events.
Pieters’ opening 62 at Himmerland — when Clarke had asked to be paired with him to check out his game — was a huge statement.
And finishing with three birdies to clinch a one-shot win showed real star quality.
Throw in that the 6ft 5in ace hits the ball further than most of us go on our holidays, and has a terrific short game, and he looks a ready-made Ryder Cup player.
It is tough on US-based Scot Russell Knox, who would have qualified sixth had he been a European Tour member when the countdown began last September.
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But then Knox, 31, was world No 85, concentrating on cementing his place on the PGA Tour.
It was only on sealing his long-term future with a World Golf Championship victory in China last November that he took up European Tour membership, and became eligible for the Ryder Cup.
But his previous ranking points did not count. So he had to hope for one of Clarke’s three wildcards.
ith rookies galore, Clarke was always going to take the experienced Westwood and Kaymer.
Knox was nailed on for the third spot — until Pieters went into overdrive. The Denmark win left him 21 places below Knox in the world rankings, but he has the potential to climb a lot higher.
That was his third win in 12 months, plus three more top-three finishes, as well as that near-miss for an Olympic medal in Rio.
Westwood, 43, will win his tenth cap at Hazeltine, one behind Nick Faldo’s record. He is also just four off Faldo’s European points record of 25 and will again get the job of ‘nursemaiding’ the rookies.
With four English newcomers —– Danny Willett, Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick — there is no shortage of potential partners.
The other Englishman, Justin Rose, is set to again link up with Henrik Stenson, who has assured Clarke that his recent knee pain will be no problem.