Golf: tourneys and final Ryder Cup selection
Tom Pieters won his 3rd European event Made In Denmark to enhance his chances of wild card selection to the European team which Darren Clarke will announce tomorrow. The automatics are Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stensen, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Andy Sullivan, Matt Fitzpatrick, Chris Wood with I reckon wild cards, Russell Knox and Lee Westwood. This Leaves Martin Kaymer, Tom Pieters and Shane Lowry to fight for the final spot. With so many rookies I can see Clarke going for the experience of Kaymer over another rookie in Pieters.
Once again after 25-1 Ryan Moore winning the weekend USPGA before this at Baltusrol , Jeremy Chapman did well for me as he tipped Bradley Dredge who finished runner up to Pieters. The Belgian bomber hit 3 birdies in his last 3 holes to beat the 24 year old Welshman.
Over in the States Patrick Reed pipped Ricky Fowler in the Barclays. Their Ryder Cup team may only contain Beooks Koepka as sole rookie. In the febrile atmosphere in New York the fear for Clarke might be that his rookies fold. That is the rationale for Russell Knox who plays the US PGA and Fedex Cup contender. As a betting man I would be favouring a narrow US win. Their first seven are already locked down: Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker, Koepka, and Patrick Reed with final spot between Zach Johnson, JB Holmes Ricky Fowler and Brandt Snedeker. They have 4 wild cards. This will be presumably include three who miss out – Davis Love can risk rookies Justin Thomas or Phil Rodgers or plump for the experience of Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Bubba Watson.
