Thomas Bjorn, the European Ryder Cup captain, has named Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey as his four wild card picks for this month’s tussle with the USA in Paris.
As widely predicted in the build up to the announcement, Bjorn has opted for experience as Europe, with five rookies in the team, look to recapture the cherished gold chalice they lost at Hazeltine two years ago.
The inclusion of Garcia, who has been badly out of sorts this season and missed the cut in all four majors, was always going to be a bone of contention. The likes of Rafa Cabrera Bello and Matt Wallace, who won in Denmark on Sunday night, can feel rightly aggrieved at being overlooked.
Garcia’s Ryder Cup pedigree is undeniable, though, and his passion for the European cause swayed Bjorn’s thinking.
"You have to look at Sergio in certain ways, he is the heartbeat of the team,” said the Dane. “It's like a football team going without their captain. He makes everybody around him better. He is everything that the European Ryder Cup team is about."
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