RUSSELL KNOX'S hopes of a Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine next month were dashed today as the Scot failed to gain one of three wild cards from European team captain Darren Clarke.
Despite being 20th in the world, seventh on the FedEx Cup rankings and a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, the 31-year-old Scot was overlooked in favour of Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and the emerging Belgian youngster Thomas Pieters at the official unveiling at Wentworth.
Read more: Nick Rodger: Ryder Cup old boys' network will temper surge of new faces
Westwood, a veteran of nine Ryder Cup campaigns, and Kaymer, who holed the winning putt to complete the Miracle of Medinah in 2012, had been expected to be named by Clarke as the Northern Irishman looked to add experience to a line-up which already included five rookies from the automatic qualifying list.
Pieters’s rousing surge for the line over the past couple of weeks, which included a runners-up finish in the defence of his Czech Masters title and a thrilling victory at the Made In Denmark event last weekend, convinced the European skipper to give him a debut in the transatlantic tussle.
Knox, who has performed his winning feats on the global stage and is the sixth highest European on the world order, can feel rightly aggrieved at missing out as his record over the last few months trumps the achievements of his rivals involved in the wild card skirmish.
“Lee and Martin were obvious choices and it came down to Russell Knox and Thomas Pieters,” said Clarke.
“Phoning Russell was one of the toughest calls I’ve made. But I’ve always been a huge Thomas Pieters fan. To do what he did in Denmark, and birdie the last three holes to win, made it impossible to leave him off the team.”
After confirming his picks, Clarke reserved much of his praise for Pieters.
"Last week I played with him as I have many times over the qualification period and as we teed off on Thursday morning Thomas knew exactly why I was playing with him," said Clarke.
"Prior to that there was a few other contenders I was thinking about as well, but he went out and played unbelievably and shot 62 - one of the finest 62s I've ever witnessed - and he made it look easy. And then on top of that he finished in the manner he started in to win the tournament.
"I'm very pleased and proud to have someone of Thomas Pieters' undoubted talent as part of that team."
On Westwood and Kaymer, Clarke added: "In Lee Westwood I've got one of the most experienced 'Ryder Cuppers' of all time.
"This will be his 10th appearance. He's played well this year, he was runner-up at Augusta and week in, week out he has been very solid.
"Martin Kaymer has had six top-10s in his recent events and is somewhat of a Ryder Cup stalwart. No one can forget the putt he holed at Medinah a few years ago.
"He's a man I have a huge amount of trust and belief in."
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