Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Shane Lowry will play for Europe in this month’s Ryder Cup against the United States after being named as wildcard picks by captain Padraig Harrington.
They join Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Paul Casey, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Viktor Hovland and Bernd Wiesberger, who all qualified through the rankings.
“I am absolutely thrilled with my team, with all of our picks we have the strongest 10, 11 and 12 we’ve ever had,” said Harrington.
Spaniard Garcia is the record points scorer in the biennial event with 25½ from nine previous appearances, while European talisman Poulter will be playing in his seventh Ryder Cup. Irishman Lowry, who won the 2019 Open Championship, is making his debut.
Poulter’s inclusion means half of the 12-strong team are English and Harrington said of the 45-year-old: “He is undefeated in singles. He lifts himself, he lifts his partners, he lifts the team.
“I’m getting a player who is in probably the best form of his life. He consistently motivates people around him. That’s so important to the team. I know I have players who are good enough to deliver and Poulter is at the heart of our team.”
On Garcia, Harrington said he is “relying on him to be a team leader”.
“It’s the passion he brings to the team. He enjoys mentoring the younger players. I’ve seen what he brings to the other players.”
And on his fellow Irishman Lowry, Harrington said: “It was an easy pick.
“Shane is a big-time player. He delivers consistently under pressure. It was an easy pick. He definitely delivered for me and all the vice-captains.
“We don’t think of him as a rookie. He is one of our leading players.”
BBC Sport
