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Former world No.1 Justin Rose has been left out of the European Ryder Cup team after a dramatic end to qualifying.
The 2013 US Open champion – a veteran of five matches stretching back to 2008 – was overlooked for a wild card by captain Padraig Harrington after he failed to secure one of the nine automatic qualification places.
Harrington’s three picks went, instead, to Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry.
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They join Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Tommy Fleetwood, as well as Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and rookies VIktor Hovland and Bernd Wiesberger, in the side.
Harrington revealed his picks at the conclusion to the BMW PGA Championship, where Rose finished in a tie for sixth. With Wiesberger forcing his way into the side at the eleventh hour, that left the Irish skipper with the unenviable prospect of having to pick three players from Lowry, Garcia, Poulter and Rose – and, in the end, it was the latter who missed out.
“The fact of the matter is, with who he was going up against, the consistency of Shane Lowry, what Ian and Sergio have brought over the years, somebody had to lose out and it really is as close as that,” explained Harrington.
“Alex Noren as well. Playing fantastic golf but, ultimately, somebody has to lose out. If you don’t play your way in, it’s a tough place to be and it easily could have been JR [Rose], it easily could have been Alex Noren.
“It was so tight at the end of the day and we just went with the passion, the core, the heart of the team has been Sergio and Ian for years.”
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Harrington’s side travel to play the USA at Whistling Straits next week.
American captain Steve Stricker announced six picks to accompany six automatic qualifier for his team last week, with Patrick Reed – one of the cornerstones of the US team in recent matches – the highest-profile player to miss out on a spot.
Europe travel to the States looking to retain the title they won in emphatic fashion at Le Golf National in 2018.
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