“Incredibly difficult,” was how Padraig Harrington described his decision to overlook Justin Rose in his Ryder Cup wildcard selections on Sunday night and to be fair he sounded like the person who had shot JR after a fraught and emotional week at Wentworth.
Yet the picks had to be made and two and a half hours after the dramatic conclusion the BMW PGA Championship – that ironically saw an American winner in Billy Horschel – Harrington announced Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Shane Lowry. Rose, who finished tied sixth at the West Course, was the unlucky one of the four.
It was always going to be a big name. That much became clear when Bernd Wiesberger booked himself the place in the top 50 that he required to gain the final spot in the European Points list. In a brutally complex scenario, there was a fleeting moment when Matt Fitzpatrick threatened to knock out Wiebserger and keep the nine the same as it was at the start of $8m event, but ultimately it was between Lowry and Lee Westwood.
And when the latter fired a 77 to fall back to level par and into a tie for 71st, it seemed that after nearly two years in the automatic placings Westwood would fall out at the very last gasp. All Lowry needed was a top seven and as when he birdied two of the first seven holes, Westwood’s fate appeared to be in the hands of the captain. Would Harrington dare deny the popular 48-year-old the 11 appearance that would equal Sir Nick Faldo’s Europe captain?
The question hung heavy in the Surrey air, until Lowry, too, was hit with that double-whammy of pressure. A double-bogey on the 15th essential assured Westwood of his place and after a 71 left Lowry on 12-under for a tie for 17th, the verdict went to the judges – Harrington and his four assistants, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald and Robert Karlsson.
Garcia and Poulter were already booked in. Harrington had already signified that back in May when telling Telegraph Sport, “Garcia would almost need to lose a limb not to be picked… and Poulter is nearly the same”. So Lowry, the 2019 Open champion and a close friend of countryman Harrington, versus Rose. The nod went to the debutant,.
“It was so tight at the end of the day and we just went with the passion… the core, the heart of the team has been Ian and Sergio over the years, the consistency of Shane under pressure and under stress,” Harrington said. “JR did deliver this week, it was just a step too far. He’s a big team player. I’ve had a chat with him and he’s an absolute gentleman.”
Should Rose feel aggrieved? Well, he lost the PR battle going in because there is no doubt that Rose’s “poor” form has been overstated. Granted, he did not finish in the top 125 of the PGA Tour money list but some are forgetting that injury saw him two months of the season. In his last 10 events, the former world No 1 has recorded four top 10s, including a seventh at the Masters and an eighth at the USPGA. His finish yesterday -closing with an eagle for a 65- was his second top 10 in as many competitive weeks. After a frustrating period, his game is clearly coming back and with only 14 starts so far in 2021 [that also featured a tie for second in Saudi Arabia] there could be no doubt he is fresh. And then there is his Ryder Cup record.
Of the six Europe golfers in the world’s top 100 who have played in three Cups or more, only Garcia, Poulter and Rose have a winning percentage of more than 60 percent. In his three away Ryder Cups, Rose has amassed eight points – more than any other European in this time period. Furthermore, he has history at Whistling Straits. He finished fourth there at the 2015 US PGA. He has been a big presence for Europe and leaves a sizable hole.
Lowry has the wherewithal to fill it. Leona Maguire at the Solheim Cup last week underlined that rookies are not what they were in team matches and can emerge as the most valuable players and on a course that suits do not be surprised to witness the 34-year-old from Co. Offaly making a huge splash on Lake Michigan. He is one of three first-timers for Harrington while Steve Stricker has six.
Comparing the teams, the most glaring differences are the date of births and previous Ryder Cups. The average age of the home side is the 29, the first US side ever ro be below 30; the average of the visitors is 34.5 and includes Viktor Hovland the youngest in the match at 23.
The US have played 12 Cups between them; the Europeans have played 41. Everybody in the Stars and Stripes will be under 40; those in blue and golf will feature a quartet of over-40s. This truly is the Boys’ Brigade versus Dad’s Army and will be a fascinating grapple of the generations, of exuberance versus experience.
Yet look at the discrepancies in the rankings and it also plain that it will be between quantity and quality. When Stricker named his 12 their average ranking was 9.03; the average of Europe’s dozen on Sunday night 29.67. Stricker has nine of the world’s top 11 in his squad. Harrington has one of the top 12, (albeit world No 1 Jon Rahm).
All of Stricker’s men are in the world’s top 21, only four of Harrington’s can claim the same. The rankings gap between the two has never been as large since the rankings system was inaugurated in 1986. “We are up against it,” Harrington said. “But I’m delighted with my team.”