US Ryder Cup skipper Davis Love III has backed Rickie Fowler to bounce back from his Ryder Cup set back and earn a wild card pick for the Hazeltine showdown.

Fowler had looked set to gain an automatic qualifying spot on Sunday heading into the closing round of The Barclays, the final counting event on the points list.

But the Californian slumped to a closing 74 which included a double-bogey six on the 16th as he slithered down to a seventh place finish.

Fowler is now one of those looking for a wild card, along with the likes of former Masters champ Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar and Jim Furyk.

Love III will announce three of his four picks after the BMW Championship on September 12 before completing his line up with the final addition after the Tour Championship the week before the Ryder Cup itself.

He said: “Rickie is trending up, that’s the great thing and he’s going into some tournaments that really suit him. He’s starting to make some putts and he’s confident with his game.

“There are lot of things to measure. Guys who get hot these next two weeks are the guys we’re looking at. It’s going to be an interesting two weeks.

“These eight guys who have qualified need to pick four more. From No. 1 to No. 8 they need to take ownership of this team.”

On the European front, Darren Clarke was set to name his three wild cards this lunchtime with bookmakers suspending betting on Luke Donald gaining a surprise call up.

Scotsman Russell Knox is in the hunt for a pick but with Clarke set top go for Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, the extra experience of Donald could see the Scot miss out on a Cup debut despite two PGA Tour wins this season.

On the domestic scene, meanwhile, Bearsden’s Ewen Ferguson, has made the leap into the paid ranks and will make his debut as a professional at this week’s Cordon Golf Open on the European Challenge Tour.

The 20-year-old, who won the Boys’ Amateur Championship in 2013 and helped GB&I to Walker Cup victory at Royal Lytham last year, has signed with the well-known Scottish management group Bounce Sports.

He said: “I learned so much from my two Challenge Tour appearances as an amateur and I realised how good the professionals are and what I need to do to compete with them."