European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn has named his four wildcards and the 47-year-old has elected to opt for experience in favour of youth with Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey all gaining the call to complete the 12-man European team that will lock horns with the USA at Le Golf National in France between September 28-30.
With a relatively inexperienced octet grabbing the automatic qualification spots, Bjorn was always going to want to add some proven Ryder Cup stars to his squad, and it's the correct decision on the Dane's part, as if he had chosen the likes of Matt Wallace and Eddie Pepperell then the 12-strong team would've been awash with rookies and an experienced Team USA would've relished the chance to dominate their youthful opposition.
The eight Ryder Cup players that earned their spot automatically were Francesco Molinari, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Alex Noren and Thorbjorn Olesen. Astonishingly, the final five of that octet head to Paris as Ryder Cup rookies, so the experience of Messrs Garcia, Poulter, Stenson and Casey will help blood that quintet of emerging golf stars, and Bjorn's team now has a balanced look to it.
Ian Poulter was a shoo-in as soon as he recaptured his best form earlier in the season, and having won 12 of his 18 career Ryder Cup matches then he will not only bring a fine record to the table, but also he will relish the chance to shine in golf's most hotly-anticipated event having missed the showpiece in 2016.
Sergio Garcia has been a mainstay of the European team since his debut in 1999 and the former Masters champion will be chasing Nick Faldo's record of 25 Ryder Cup points in the French capital, and currently sitting on 22.5 points then the Spaniard can shine once again, and is another solid call from Bjorn.
Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey complete the four wildcard picks, and both have had significant Ryder Cup experience before, so they should help the relative young guns settle in as the hysteria builds in the lead up to the Ryder Cup, and Bjorn's decision to pick four proven performers is a good one.
The likes of Fleetwood and Rahm may now be global stars in the game of golf, but Bjorn's wildcards can help them blossom under the pressures of Ryder Cup golf, and Poulter, Garcia, Stenson and Garcia can prove to be sensible picks by the Danish captain, who can now set about forming his potential pairings for the end of the month.
Bjorn may come in for criticism for going with the old guard, but he's made the right call if Europe are to have any chance of competing with a USA team blessed with sensational quality.
