Jordan Spieth: ‘Ridiculous’ if no Knox

• Jordan Spieth has his say on Team Europe’s wildcard picks
• Says it would be ‘ridiculous’ if Russell Knox is overlooked
• Final place looks to be between Knox and Thomas Pieters

Russell Knox has found an unlikely ally in his quest for a Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine – two-time major winner Jordan Spieth.

The 23-year-old American played alongside the Scot in the first two rounds of The Barclays and told Golf Channel it would be ‘ridiculous’ if he was overlooked by European captain Darren Clarke, who announces his three captain’s picks tomorrow.

Spieth on Knox: “I don’t think there’s any doubt he deserves that pick. I think it would be ridiculous if he didn’t get one of the picks.”

— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) August 26, 2016

Knox looked to be a likely candidate for Clarke’s team after winning the Travelers Championship three weeks ago but, with the Northern Irishman saying he needs experience with five rookies already in the team, it seems like a straight shootout between the Scot and Belgian Thomas Pieters for the 12th spot, with Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer heavy favourites to be selected.

And, speaking to Golf Channel after his final round at The Barclays, Knox, who finished T60 at Bethpage and is seventh in the FedEx Cup, admitted he has no idea what his fate will be.

Knox says he has “no idea” about Ryder Cup fate. Said it’ll either be a huge celebration Tuesday or huge motivation to go win the FedEx Cup. — Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) August 28, 2016

It became all the more unclear yesterday when Pieters clinched his third European Tour win at the Made in Denmark, having finished fourth at the Olympics and runner-up at the Czech Masters last week.

It makes his form incredibly difficult for Clarke to ignore, especially after the pair played alongside each other in the opening two rounds.

Read more -> Russell Knox ‘won’t sulk in the corner’ if overlooked

CONTINUES BELOW…

“I think I’m two for two when I played with him ,” said Pieters. “I played with him at the KLM when I won and played with him two days here.

“If he doesn’t pick me, then so be it” – Thomas Pieters

“To be honest, I’ve had enough of it now, all the talk about the Ryder Cup. So we’ll just find out tomorrow. He’s got plenty of good players to pick from, so if he doesn’t pick me, then so be it, and I’ll work my butt off to get there in the next one. But I’ve done all I can now and I’m just really pleased with this win.”

Read more -> CONFIRMED: Americans secure automatic team spots

Kaymer, who hasn’t tasted victory since the 2014 US Open but looks all but certain to be one of Clarke’s picks, also threw his weight behind the Belgian for a pick.

“If I would be the captain, he would be my pick, that’s for sure, because he brings something special to the team,” said Kaymer. “He hits the ball far and he’s very good on short game and obviously he proved that he can play under pressure very well, and he’s a nice guy.”

Graeme McDowell, meanwhile, believes there is very little chance of him being on the team, despite featuring on the winning teams of 2010, 2012 and 2014.

>>I’m think I’m done unfortunately. Would have loved to be there. RT @Cairnsy1975 @Graeme_McDowell Ryder cup to come — Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) August 27, 2016

Follow @BunkeredOnline

Jordan Spieth :: Do you agree on Knox?

Do you agree with Jordan Spieth that it would be ‘ridiculous’ if Russell Knox was overlooked for a Ryder Cup spot? Leave your thoughts in the ‘Comments’ section below.