The race to the Ryder Cup has all become a bit of an anti-climax. Well, on the qualifying front at least. This week’s Made in Denmark event is the last counting tournament on the European points system but with all nine automatic places now filled, it’s going to be something of a carefree golfing amble rather than a mad, frenetic scramble to the finishing line.
The wild card situation remains full of uncertainty, though, and last weekend’s activity on the other side of the Atlantic only added to the intrigue. Out of the blue, Luke Donald finished second in the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship. Behind him, Graeme McDowell managed a share of fifth.
They may be outsiders for a captain’s pick, given their topsy-turvy form this season, but Darren Clarke, Europe’s skipper, will have been given more food for thought. The smart money is on Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer getting two of the three wild card picks with Scotsman Russell Knox in pole position for one too following a brace of wins on the PGA Tour this season. The Inverness man is fourth on the FedEx Cup rankings, 20th in the world and is generally in fine form. He would be another rookie in a team already full of them but there can be no questioning his credentials.
In contrast, Donald is 48th on the FedEx standings and 64th on the global order while McDowell is 27th and 70th respectively on those two order of merits. On numbers alone, it seems Knox is a shoo-in but then the Ryder Cup is a funny old beast. If Donald and McDowell, with eight Ryder Cup campaigns between them, were sitting where Knox is, there would be no doubting their inclusion. Experience, they say, is a major weapon in the armoury and can sway decisions.
Knox, McDowell and Donald are all in action at The Barclays this week while the likes of Kaymer, Shane Lowry and Thomas Pieters are all in Denmark where team captain Clarke is also competing. Clarke names his three picks at Wentworth next Tuesday and in this game of what ifs, maybes and might have beens, there may yet be time for a few cats to be flung among the pigeons. “The Ryder Cup is a shot in the dark for me but there’s still a chance to impress,” said McDowell.
The clock is ticking.
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