Pieters, Westwood, Kaymer Get Ryder Cup Nod

With rookies filling five of the nine automatic qualifying places – albeit one of them being Masters champion Willett – Clarke had made no secret of the fact that he wanted to “balance the team” with experienced players.

Kaymer, a two-time major champion and former number one player in the world, hasn’t won in over two years and is now ranked thirty spots below Knox in the OWGR, but his play in the 2012 Ryder Cup, dubbed the “Miracle at Medinah” in which the Europeans overcame a huge deficit on the final day to win, likely played a part in Clarke’s decision. He also finished third in Thailand and second in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.

Knox wouldn’t change his plans over the last few weeks, including declining to play in the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour the week after he won the Travelers event, where another strong result might have seen him qualify automatically. The 24-year-old had carded opening rounds of 62 and 71 while playing alongside Clarke.

The Scot is arguably the most unlucky player to miss out on a captain’s pick for Team Europe, as he missed automatic qualifying by a single place. I’ve always been a big Thomas Pieters fan from when I first witnessed how he hits the golf ball.

“It’s all about winning tournaments”.

“I was very disappointed not have gotten the nod”.

Darren Clarke in jovial mood at a press conference to announce his wild card selections for the Ryder Cup.

But Knox opted to rest up to prepare for the FedEx series – where he is now sitting seventh and very much in the hunt to win – believing he already had a solid case for a wild card.

They are old friends, epic Ryder Cup partners, and Clarke knows he can trust the Englishman.

“He’s a man I have a huge amount of trust and belief in”.

Pieters, in contrast, is set for his debut and becomes the sixth European rookie to make the team for Hazeltine along with Danny Willett, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick.

“It’s one of the most hard periods in the whole of my golfing career”, Clarke said. The former world number 1 has been a part of the last three victorious European teams.

Clarke said Luke Donald – another former No. 1 and a four-time Ryder Cup victor – and Graeme McDowell would also have been in contention to join Westwood and Kaymer, if their form was better. Then it was down to Thomas and Russell Knox.

Knox said that when he got Clarke’s call on Monday night “it was obvious within one second that it wasn’t going to be good news for me”. Russell has played unbelievably well over the qualification period.

“I’m happy with the decision I made, I felt it was the best one for me, and I don’t think it would have made a difference anyway”.

I am really glad for Thomas Pieters too – I played with him last week and was really impressed. “We can say, ‘Hey, we ran the numbers and dissected the course and together you guys are unbeatable.’ Knowing why you’re playing with a guy can do so much to boost confidence”. “I have to respect the decision he made and get on with it”.