The
Ryder Cup
in association with Genuity International |
| | | Parnevik
& Garcia are Torrance's picks Sergio
Garcia and Jesper Parnevik were selected as wild cards for the European Ryder
Cup team Sunday, completing the squad that will challenge the United States at
The Belfry. European
captain Sam Torrance announced the picks after Phillip Price hung on to take the
10th automatic berth based on tour standings. Joining
Garcia (Spain), Parnevik (Sweden) and Price (Wales) for the matches Sept. 28-30
in England are: Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Padraig
Harrington (Ireland), Colin Montgomerie (Scotland), Pierre Fulke (Sweden), Lee
Westwood (England), Niclas Fasth (Sweden), Paul McGinley (Ireland) and Bernhard
Langer (Germany). ``Sergio
is No. 6-No. 7 in the world, obviously world class, tremendous asset to the team,''
Torrance said. ``Jesper is No. 21 in the world, a great asset to the team. They've
both been there before and done it and have a lot of experience.'' Torrance
had said that the 21-year-old Garcia would be a wild-card pick. But he acknowledged
having a tough time choosing among Parnevik, Jose Maria Olazabal and Paul Casey.
``It wasn't the
right time to pick a rookie,'' he said of Casey, a 24-year-old former U.S. college
star who won the Scottish PGA last week for his first pro title. ``His time will
come.'' ``With
Olazabal and Parnevik, it was very difficult,'' Torrance said. ``There is no one
with a bigger heart than Jose Maria. Unfortunately, he's not on top of his game.
``It was very
tough to leave out someone of his stature, no one tries harder, no one is better
in the team room. It was tough to leave him out.'' U.S.
captain Curtis Strange, who announced Paul Azinger and rookie Scott Verplank as
his wild-card selections last month, said he wasn't surprised by Torrance's choices.
``Sam's decision
makes a lot of sense, especially after their performance in 1999,'' he said. ``In
Sergio, Sam's got one of the most exciting young players in the world of golf
today, not to mention an individual with a 3-1-1 cup record. In Jesper, he's got
a cup veteran who is very familiar with the matches.'' Torrance
said Olazabal -- a veteran of six Ryder Cups -- accepted the decision with grace.
``He's a gentleman,''
he said. ``He understood I had to make a decision. Somebody had to miss out.''
Olazabal formed
a formidable partnership with fellow Spaniard Seve Ballesteros that produced 11
wins, two losses and two draws in foursomes and fourballs over four Ryder Cups
from 1985 to 1993. He also played in 1997 and 1999. Olazabal
made a late case for himself at the BMW on Friday with a 10-under 62, but his
other three rounds were all 2-under 70s. He finished tied for 13th. Torrance
said Parnevik is a ``very happy camper.'' ``He
was just delighted to be asked,'' he said. ``I don't think he was nervous, I think
he knew he had a good chance.'' Parnevik,
will line up with Garcia again. The
two combined for three wins and a half in their four matches together in 1999
at Brookline, Mass., where the United States regained the trophy. Garcia
is ranked seventh in the world and has won twice on the U.S. tour this year, at
the Colonial and the Buick Classic. He was also second behind Tiger Woods at the
1999 PGA Championship. Parnevik,
ranked 21st, won this year's Honda Classic in Florida. Torrance
said the two would probably be partners in the foursomes and fourball matches
again. Torrance
said he was relieved to be done with this part of the job. ``It's
been playing on my mind for months,'' he said. ``I'm glad it's over now. We've
got the team, we can look at pairings, we can get everything going.''
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International, in association with Ryder Cup, sponsors Golf Today
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