GLENEAGLES, Scotland – Edoardo Molinari of Italy came up a big winner twice on Sunday – first winning the Johnnie Walker Championship, then becoming one of three captain’s picks for Europe’s Ryder Cup team.Colin Montgomerie also chose three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and Luke Donald, who is No. 10 in the world ranking.In one of the toughest choices for any European captain, Montgomerie had three picks for five worthy candidates. He had to leave off Paul Casey, who is No. 9 in the world and played on the last three teams, and Justin Rose, who won twice on the PGA Tour this summer at the Memorial and the AT&T National.Montgomerie suggested that he had made up his mind about Molinari before he birdied the last three holes to win at Gleneagles.
“It made our job easier that he did win,” Montgomerie said. “What he achieved in three rounds was enough to tell us that this player was capable of handling the most incredible pressure so well.”Far tougher was having to leave off Rose and Casey, who has won the World Match Play Championship in England and twice was runner-up in the Match Play Championship in Arizona. Making it worse, Casey and Harrington were playing together in the final round at The Barclays. They were on the sixth hole when Harrington’s wife gave him thumbs-up to signal he was on the team.“Caroline is a great friend,” Casey said. “She would have said something to me if I had been picked. So at that point, I kind of knew that I hadn’t.”It led to an awkward situation the rest of the round.“It was very, very hard to stick to your job,” Harrington said. “It was never going to be easy on Monty.”Montgomerie said Molinari, who birdied the last three holes to win on Sunday, is “the type of player we need to regain this Ryder Cup.”“In my 24 years on the European Tour I have not seen a finish of that quality by anyone in such a pressure situation,” Montgomerie said.“Having to come here and having to win what he did today was incredible. And to birdie the last three holes in the way that he did – the job in selecting the wild cards (was) very, very easy for us.”Molinari joins his younger brother Francesco on Europe’s team. They will be the first brothers to play in the Ryder Cup together since Bernard and Geoffrey Hunt of England in 1967.“It’s a delight that we have two thrilling players coming from an emerging country like Italy and it’s no secret as to who will be partnering each other at Celtic Manor,” Montgomerie said.The Molinari brothers were a winning pair at golf’s World Cup in China last year and both will make their debuts against the United States at Celtic Manor in Wales from Oct. 1-3.“It was quite an emotional moment for me because this means I will be playing with my brother in the Ryder Cup and that (is) something that is almost unreal,” Eduardo Molinari said.“We communicate differently from best friends out on the golf course – a lot of the time we don’t even have to say anything to each other, we know exactly what the other is thinking or wants to do and that’s a great help.”Harrington and Donald were on the course in the final round of The Barclays in New Jersey. Donald birdied his opening six holes, playing as though he were making closing arguments, and he went out in 28 to get within two shots of the lead. He learned the news on the 10th green, then bogeyed the next two holes.“It did throw me off a little,” Donald said, relieved to make the team after what he called a “crazy” selection process. He also felt bad for Casey and Rose, particularly because Donald’s brother is the caddie for Casey.Montgomerie explained the choice of Harrington and Donald ahead of Casey and Rose.“Padraig has won three majors in the past two years, he has great stature in the game and when his back is up against the wall he comes out and gives tremendous performances,” Montgomerie said. “He is a great competitor.”Montgomerie said Rose would get a place on the team in the event that Lee Westwood failed to recover in time from his calf injury.Montgomerie also announced that Europe will have a fourth vice captain as Sergio Garcia agreed to join his staff.The nine players who qualified on their own for the Ryder Cup team were Westwood, U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, PGA champion Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Francesco Molinari, Peter Hanson, Rory McIlroy and Miguel Angel Jimenez.Six of Europe’s players have never competed in the Ryder Cup – the Molinari brothers, McIlroy, Hanson, Kaymer and Ross Fisher.Montgomerie said the selection meeting with his vice captains took five hours, adding “we had an embarrassment of riches on this occasion.”U.S. captain Corey Pavin is to announce his four picks on Sept. 7 in New York.
Interesting picks for Cap'n Montgomerie but huge congrats to the two FootJoy players, Harrington and Donald.
Concerning the Euro team. There are a number of Ryder Cup automatic bids who probably wouldn't have gotten picked otherwise. If your bench players are in the World's Top 10, I would feel good about the European squads chances.
Excited to see Capt. Pavin's picks on Sept 7th in New York. Then we can look at the full US v. EU on paper.
I think Montey not picking Paul Casey with a CP was a bad move. His Match Play record is fantastic and the experience he would have brought the team would have been a huge asset.
The US team could surprise the world in a few weeks......
WOW, TO LEAVE ROSE AND CASEY OFF THE TEAM IS REALLY A SURPRISE TO ME, ESPECIALLY ROSE.
THE BROS. MOLINARI ARE GOING TO BE TOUGH BUT I'M NOT SO SURE PADDY IS ON HIS GAME.
Tough call by Montgomery. It was a good problem to have so many quality players to pick from, but still a very difficult decision. Leaving off Rose and Casey sets up some definite criticism of Monty if his picks don't work out. His picks better perform or the British press will roast him. That is one thing that Faldo got right during the last Ryder Cup.
I don't agree with Monty...but he is captain not me. I guess we will find out soon if he was right!
The good thing for Monty is the talent that he has at his disposal. The Euro's have a well stacked team. He couldn't go wrong with Casey or Rose on the team either.
Currently with the US team I have a few concerns, but they may work themselves out... AKA Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. If any thing is looking up is Tiger is playing better but his Ryder Cup record isn't the best (Ryder Cup 10-13-2). Phil has the simailar to the same results (10-14-6) in the Ryder Cup and is playing horrible currently due to medical issues.
+1 Dog,
Paddy hasn't been playing that well this season and his record isn't that great ( 7-11-3 = 8.5pts ) so I am scratching my head a little. I would have went with either Rose or Casey. If Monty fails he will get baked by the press.
This is Monty's first mistake as Captain. Casey surely should have been picked, because his play in the RC is always tenacious. Rose not being picked is questionable, but Casey is outright a mental lapse. Luke Donald will be OK, and do well, but he is not the bulldog Casey is during match play.
Picking Paddy is a no brainer. You have to pick him on merit really, regardless of how his run lately is.
Lost in all this is the decision by Monty to bring in Sergio Garcia as a special assistant or some such rubbish. What is that all about? Sergio has been terrible all year and is now in "golf rehab" somewhere to get his act together. Why would you bring him in to "rally the troops? A very caustic move I think that could backfire. Sure he's a firey guy and does well in the RC. But not when he has fallen off the map and literally walked away from the game for a spell.
Stay tuned.
the Sergio part is something that should be talked about a little more. I think it is a HUGE mistake to bring Sergio in the mix. He has the attitude of a 3 year old, and while he has done well in Ryder Cup, his overall attitude to the game is terrible.
No idea why Monty would want to do this one...
Very interesting span of events with Captain Colin. Yet this is not the first strange decision he's made.
1. He made it clear that he wanted his players to play predominantly on European Tour. Casey, Rose and many others decided against this for the money and notoriety while knowing it may be detrimental to Ryder Cup aspirations.
2. Montgomerie then said that all players who wanted to me on the team had to show up at Celtic Manor for the Wales Open that ran concurrent to the Memorial Tournament, the first week of June. Justin Rose went on to win at the Memorial while at Celtic Manor, Luke Donald came in 3rd and Edoardo Molinari came in 4th to Graeme McDowell who went back to back at the US Open later in June. Only after that did Monty say he misspoke and they didn't have to arrive in Wales. Now it seems that may have been true afterall. Stranger than that is Rhys Davies. Davies, the only Welsh player who was in contention to get the Captains Pick, who came in 2nd at the Wales Open, will be like us, watching from his couch in a number of weeks.
Monty has always been an "interesting" character and he seems to be the wildcard this year at the Ryder Cup.
He made it clear that he wanted his players to play predominantly on European Tour. Casey, Rose and many others decided against this for the money and notoriety while knowing it may be detrimental to Ryder Cup aspirations.
Montgomerie then said that all players who wanted to be on the team had to show up at Celtic Manor for the Wales Open that ran concurrent to the Memorial Tournament, the first week of June. Justin Rose went on to win at the Memorial while at Celtic Manor, Luke Donald came in 3rd and Edoardo Molinari came in 4th to Graeme McDowell who went back to back at the US Open later in June. Only after that did Monty say he misspoke and they didn't have to arrive in Wales. Now it seems that may have been true after all. Stranger than that is Rhys Davies. Davies, the only Welsh player in contention to get one of the three Captains Picks, who came in 2nd at the Wales Open, will be like us, watching from his couch in a number of weeks.
Then to pick Sergio as a Vice Captain. Unexplainable as he is not the veteran voice you may need in the locker room nor is he inspire much confidence through his Ryder Cup history. Bernard Langer may have been the better choice there.
Monty has always been an "interesting" character throughout his entire career and he seems to be the wild card again this year at the Ryder Cup .
Shaun
The ONLY thing I can think of is to groom him a bit as a future Captain (you know that will happen), and to maybe mentor some of the younger players on the pressure and how to "head game" the US squad. Remember, Sergio and Seve were the masters of mind games on course....
I still believe it will backfire though.
Tar Heel: Picking Paddy is a no brainer. You have to pick him on merit really, regardless of how his run lately is.
I have to disagree with this. Paddy hasn't been playing well of late and it's not like he has a stellar Ryder Cup record. He was 0-3-1 last time. I think Molinari was more of no brainer than Harrington. I just plain don't understand not picking Casey. Rose I kind of get, he even looked a little shaky down the stretch of his 2 wins and then there was the disaster at the Traveler's.
Sergio as an assistant? Maybe Pavin should trump Monty by giving John Daly a similar position... Truly baffling, given the state of Sergio's head these days.
Is it just me or doesn't anyone else think Colin looks like Mrs. Doubtfire?