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Monday, Sep. 01, 2008

Poulter, Casey round out European Ryder Cup team

GLENEAGLES, Scotland — Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo used his two picks Sunday on Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, a surprising decision that left Darren Clarke off the European team for the first time since 1995.

Clarke figured to be a likely choice because he played on the last five teams and has won twice on the European Tour in the last four months.

Instead, Faldo went with a pair of Englishmen.

"I've been watching these guys through the summer," Faldo said. "Ian is a very determined guy. I love his attitude and what he did at The Open — that back nine he played with the intention to win and had that emotional feeling."

Poulter was the runner-up at Royal Birkdale, one of only two top-10s he has had all year. He played the Deutsche Bank Championship on the PGA Tour and missed the cut Saturday for the second straight week.

Faldo said he had been keeping an eye on Casey and waiting for his putting to improve.

"I've been watching Paul play and he has been playing absolutely the best through the summer," Faldo said. "He has an extremely good record in the Ryder Cup."

Oliver Wilson clinched the 10th and final automatic spot by finishing in a tie for 10th at the Johnnie Walker Championship, while Justin Rose and Soren Hansen also qualified to make their Ryder Cup debuts.

Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Graeme McDowell had already made the team.

Nick Dougherty would have had a chance to make the team by winning the Johnnie Walker, but he finished in seventh place.

Clarke has a 10-7-3 record in five Ryder Cups, and he was the emotional leader in 2006 at The K Club in Ireland when he won all three of his matches just a month after his wife died of cancer.

He did not win again until the BMW Asian Open at the end of April, then routed the field at the KLM Open in Holland two weeks ago.

Clarke said he respected Faldo's decision.

"Obviously, I am disappointed that I wasn't selected, but I have dealt with much worse and it will make me all the more determined to make the team that will play in Wales next time," Clarke said in a statement. "There was a qualifying period, and I didn't make it automatically, so you will not hear any sour grapes from me."