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Monty Rounds Out European Ryder Cup Team
European captain Colin Montgomerie has named Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari as his three wild-card picks for the 2010 Ryder Cup team. The European squad will seek to regain the biennial Ryder Cup against the defending champion Americans in early October at Celtic Manor in Wales.
Molinari made a strong case by winning the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland on Sunday. Molinari, who needed to win the European Tour event to have any shot at getting selected by Montgomerie, dramatically birdied the final three holes, closing with a 1-under 71 to edge Australia's Brett Rumford by a stroke.
Edoardo will join his brother Francesco on the team along with the other automatic qualifiers: Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson.
In making his final three selections, Montgomerie bypassed favorites Paul Casey and Justin Rose. Montgomerie admitted he had a tough time making a decision, saying, "We had an embarrassment of riches on this occasion."
Montgomerie also announced that Sergio Garcia has accepted an invitation to become his fourth vice-captain, joining Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn.
In explaining his captain's picks, Montgomerie said: "Padraig Harrington has won three major championships in the last three years . . . the stature of Padraig . . . he is someone we feel that nobody in match-play golf wants to play. He is a great competitor and someone that will bring everything to the team that we know about European golf.
"Luke Donald has played seven times in Ryder Cup and has lost only once.
"And Edoardo Molinari, what can one say about his performance today? In my time on the European Tour, over 24 years, I have never seen a finish like that. All credit to him, having to win and doing just that."
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