Darren Clarke’s ‘gut’ wildcard call on Thomas Pieters harsh on Russell Knox

In the end, there was only one real talking point once Darren Clarke revealed his European Ryder Cup wildcard picks.

Clarke had always required further player experience on his team, so it was hardly surprising to see him select Lee Westwood for his 10th and Martin Kaymer for his fourth Ryder Cup campaigns. Their selections were as much about their form as for their team pairing options, but the real answer everyone was looking for on Tuesday was whether or not he would pick a sixth rookie on his team?

Wildcard selections and Ryder Cup campaigns are all about intelligence, communication, and attention to detail but the selection of Thomas Pieters also says much about the mindset of Darren Clarke, in that it seems that it was more of a “gut” selection, despite his fantastic recent form. In fact, it begs the question as to whether or not Clarke, a known admirer, can see a younger version of himself in the explosive Pieters?