'Pressure on' Darren Clarke to pick friends and Ryder Cup veterans, says US captain Davis Love
Tuesday 30 August 2016 12:37, UK
European captain Darren Clarke will pick friends and Ryder Cup veterans when he names his three wild cards on Tuesday, according to opposite number Davis Love.
Ryder Cup rookies filled five of the nine automatic qualifying places and although one of them is Masters champion Danny Willett, Clarke has made no secret of the fact that he wants to "balance the team" with experienced players.
That points towards the likes of Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, who finished 13th and 14th on the world points list respectively, or perhaps even Francesco Molinari, Graeme McDowell or Luke Donald, who were 18th, 19th and 21st.
Love, who confirmed his eight automatic qualifiers on Sunday as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson, said: "I know Darren really well.
"He's sweating it out and the pressure is on him to make the picks. It's the most fun and the most nerve-wracking time of a captain.
"But he's got a great team. He got a lot of the guys he needed and wanted and now he has the luxury of picking guys that are hot and picking some veterans.
"I'm sure we'll see some names we recognise, friends of his. But it's going to be tough for him to make those picks and round out his team."
Westwood and Kaymer have long been favourites to be selected, with Westwood a good friend and former Ryder Cup partner of Clarke who is seeking a 10th consecutive appearance in the event.
The 43-year-old's last victory came in Indonesia in April 2015, but he was joint second behind Willett at Augusta National and has recorded four other top-15 finishes from a limited schedule.
Kaymer's most recent win came when he claimed his second major title in the 2014 US Open, but six top-10s in his last 12 events - including sixth in the final event in Denmark - is coupled with experience of Europe's last three Ryder Cup wins, including securing the point which retained the trophy at Medinah.
