Why Thomas Bjorn Got The Ryder Cup Wildcard Picks Right

The experience Bjorn has added to the side may well be the key ingredient to European success

Why Thomas Bjorn Got The Ryder Cup Wildcard Picks Right
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The experience Thomas Bjorn has added to the side may well be the key ingredient to European success

Why Thomas Bjorn Got The Ryder Cup Wildcard Picks Right

Thomas Bjorn's much anticipated European Ryder Cup wildcard picks are in, and Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson were the four men to get the nod.

The announcement came with much criticism, considering that Casey, Garcia and Stenson hadn't necessarily had their best years and other players had shown form.

The exclusion of Matt Wallace, who won three times this year including at last week's Made in Denmark, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Thomas Pieters was questioned, although Bjorn has ultimately made the correct choice in my opinion.

The European team will have five rookies going to France, and whilst they are all world class players used to competing at the highest level, the Ryder Cup is a completely different kettle of fish.

In 2016 Europe had six rookies and it backfired, and this time out the USA side has just two rookies - and they are former world number one, major champion and nine-time PGA Tour winner Justin Thomas, and world number seven Bryson DeChambeau who is just about the hottest player on the planet right now.

The fact that Wallace was not included, despite his incredible victory in Denmark, shows that Bjorn wanted as much experience on that team as he could get. That is harsh on Wallace, but completely understandable.

So why didn't he choose Thomas Pieters or Rafa Cabrera Bello? Both men have experience and good records in their only Ryder Cup last time out where Pieters became the first European rookie in history to win four points and Cabrera Bello was undefeated.

However, Bjorn has clearly got his pairings finalised, or at least semi finalised, already and that's where Rafa may well have come up short.

Cabrera Bello and Garcia formed a brilliant partnership in 2016 but for Le Golf National Bjorn must be thinking about a partner for rookie Jon Rahm, and who else fits the bill better than eight-time Ryder Cupper Sergio Garcia?

Rahm and Garcia is an obvious pairing. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Expect to see Rahm with Sergio in Paris, who by the way has had two weeks working on his game and still has over three weeks left before a ball is struck.

His experience and incredible ball striking will be an asset to the team. He was also a vice captain in 2010 and will be able to make a difference in the team room.

The 2017 Masters champion was T8th at the Open de France at Le Golf National this year so knows how to play the course and was T24th in his last start at the Wyndham Championship where he showed signs of his best stuff on the first 3 1/2 days.

Henrik Stenson, like Garcia, will also make the perfect partner but for two players, not just one.

He and Justin Rose have paired up six times and won four of their six matches together, including three of four fourball games.

Noren and Stenson celebrate winning the 2017 EurAsia Cup. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Bjorn, just like rookie Rahm, will have been looking for someone to pair with Alex Noren who makes his first appearance too. Step up Henrik Stenson.

The Iceman has struggled a little on the course this year but has had an elbow injury for the latter part of the season.

However, he has still managed a T5th at The Masters and a T6th at the US Open and missed just two cuts in his last 27 events.

Casey and Poulter, for me, were dead-certs to get on the side.

Ian Poulter, because of his Ryder Cup pedigree and the fact that he has shown some brilliant guts to climb back up the world rankings over the past 18 months, meant he was always going to be on the team.

He was outside of the world's top 200 last March and has reached a high of 26th this year thanks to his Houston Open win and eight top 20s around the world, including a T5 at the WGC-Match Play, T11th at the Players, T8th at the Italian Open and T10th at the WGC-Bridgestone.

Ian Poulter celebrates

Poulter's Houston Open win was seriously impressive, featuring a long birdie putt on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff.

Poulter's win in Houston to qualify for The Masters was special, and his desire to make the Ryder Cup team was commendable.

He occupied the final spot with just a few events left but was eventually overtaken by Thorbjorn Olesen.

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Paul Casey re-joined the European Tour this year to specifically make the side and played under Bjorn at this year's EurAsia Cup where he impressed.

The Englishman is currently world number 16 and he has been inside the world's top 20 for two years now.

Casey made a good impression at the 2018 EurAsia Cup, winning his fourball match with Tommy Fleetwood and his foursomes match with Tyrrell Hatton. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

He is one of the game's most consistent players and despite being criticised for a lack of bottle or not enough victories, he did win on the PGA Tour this year at the Valspar Championship and, as Bjorn said in his wildcard announcement, is a great match player.

Around Le Golf National, Casey will be very reliable team member and will likely partner fellow Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and/or Tyrrell Hatton.

For those saying that Europe have lost the Ryder Cup already, take a look at the quality on this team and find some optimism.

Europe have home advantage, the past two Open de France champions and a number of the world's finest players.

Yes, USA do look strong but they haven't won on European soil in 25 years and the experience that Bjorn has added to his side may well be the key to victory in Paris.

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV