Gallacher: Nick picks may knock our cup bid off course

13 April 2012

Nick Faldo's decision to pick Ian Poulter over Darren Clarke for Europe's Ryder Cup team could backfire before a golf ball has been driven in anger. That is the claim made by former Cup captain Bernard Gallacher who warned: "The morale in the team might be a bit lower for picking Poulter ahead of Clarke."

Casey's claim on one of Faldo's two captain's picks for the team to defend the Ryder Cup at Valhalla near Louisville on 19-21 September was never in doubt.

With four top 10 finishes from his last seven tournaments the 31-year-old former World Match Play champion clearly satisfied 51-year-old Faldo's criteria that form was the prime requisite of any pick contender. But since finishing runner-up to Padraig Harrington in the Open at Royal Birkdale two months ago, Poulter's indifferent play has been in stark contrast to that of Clarke who won in Holland just last week.

Gallacher, who led three European teams including the winners at Oak Hill near New York on 1995, admitted: "I'm fairly shocked. There will be a few players today thinking 'Nick, you've made a mistake'. I don't think Ian Poulter will let the team down. But he didn't turn up to the last event [the Johnnie Walker Championship won yesterday at Gleneagles by Frenchman Gregory Havret] and Darren's the form guy. Poulter has missed the last two cuts.

"I'm very surprised Clarke wasn't picked. He has won two tournaments on the European Tour this year [the BMW Asian Open and KLM Open], he's got a great Ryder Cup record and in the past he's played well with Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia." Paul Azinger, captain of the United States team who tomorrow will announce four picks to complete his 12-man squad, was also surprised by the inclusion of Poulter.

He said: "I thought it was between Casey and Poulter. I thought Clarke was a lock. But the guys Faldo picked are really good. His dilemma is a nice one to have. You look at all the guys he had to choose, I don't have that. It's not like I have a bunch of veterans with monster records at the Ryder Cup."

Explaining 32-year-old Poulter's selection, Faldo said: "I love his attitude and what he did in the Open Championship where he played the back nine with the intention to win."

Poulter and Casey aside, the rest of Faldo's line-up is an intriguing mix of class in triple major winner Padraig Harrington, passion in the form of the effervescent Sergio Garcia, coolness personified by Lee Westwood and Henrik Stenson, the experience of Miguel Angel Jimenez and Robert Karlsson, and the fresh-faced enthusiasm of Cup debutantes Justin Rose, Oliver Wilson, Soren Hansen and Graeme McDowell.

Faldo said: "We have a very strong, determined, passionate team, which is exactly what I want. The Americans will know that these guys are confident and that's the real bottom line."

None more so than Poulter, who contributed one point in his one previous Cup appearance in 2004.

Asked what he might bring to the party this time, he said: "I'll bring my best golf game. I'll bring excitement, I'll bring flair, and I will bring the passion that I always play golf with. I think that will be a strong asset to the team."

At least Poulter was honest to admit that his decision to play in this weekend's Deutsche Bank Championship in the United States, rather than attempt to qualify for Faldo's team by right at Gleneagles, was wrong.

"It was just so difficult to actually chose the right thing to do," he said.

In another surprise move, Faldo announced that his only vice-captain will be Jose Maria Olazabal.

Other skippers from the recent past have wanted the benefit of eyes and ears all around the course but Faldo, historically always his own man, explained: "I want to gather all the information myself, first hand."

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Gallacher: Nick picks may knock our cup bid off course

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