Ryder Cup: How Many Rookies is Too Many for Team Europe?

The European Ryder Cup team may be at risk of bringing too many rookies to Hazeltine next month.

Regardless of what Rory McIlroy says, it’s difficult to imagine the European Ryder Cup team arriving at Hazeltine National Golf Club next month as anything other than the favorite. After all, the Euros have taken six of the last seven Ryder Cups, demonstrating a high level of organization and a knack for draining monster putts along the way.

And yet, Team Europe may have a slight problem on its hands heading into this year’s competition. If qualifying ended today, five of the team’s nine automatic qualifiers would be Ryder Cup rookies — Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose have experience, but Danny Willett, Chris Wood, Rafael Cabrera Bello, Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick would be first-timers.

It’s no secret that team captains value experience when it comes to their rosters. Two years ago, American skipper Tom Watson chose three veterans as his captain’s picks. European counterpart Paul McGinley chose just two vets, but he was under an enormous amount of pressure to tab first-timer Stephen Gallacher, who got to play in front of a home crowd at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.

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Colin Montgomerie, captain of the European team that won the 2010 Ryder Cup, said last month that no team would want to have more than five rookies. With Fitzpatrick, the last automatic qualifier, sitting almost 40 points ahead of the next man on the list, it looks like skipper Darren Clarke’s team will head to the Gopher State right at the limit. It’s a far cry from the Team Europe that won the event in 2012, which featured one rookie, Nicolas Colsaerts, among 11 veterans.

Team Europe’s inexperience might not be so much of a problem if not for the composition of this year’s American squad. At the moment, seven Team USA veterans are in line for an automatic spot, and with players like Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar sitting just outside the bubble, the team could do some real damage this year.

With that in mind, who should Clarke choose as his wildcard selections? Among veterans, the top three non-qualified players are Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Francesco Molinari, with Graeme McDowell also sitting in the top 20. There’s a lot riding on the next few weeks, but it appears likely that the three picks will come out of that group.

Then again….maybe not. Would-be rookies in the mix for a captain’s pick include Soren Kjeldsen, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Russell Knox. All have been impressive in 2016. Lowry, with his tie for second at the U.S. Open, probably has the most name recognition, but he’s missed his last three cuts. Hatton performed well in the year’s final two majors, but he probably needs a couple more top 10s to make it. Kjeldsen and Knox are the longshots, but Clarke would be a fool to not consider them.

Thanks to a generally consistent season and his nine previous Ryder Cup appearances, Westwood is the most likely to be on the team. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess — Kaymer, Molinari and McDowell can still play, but they’re shells of their former selves.

At the end of the day, Clarke needs to answer one important question: how many Ryder Cup rookies is too many? His answer could determine the outcome of this year’s event.

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Who should Darren Clarke tab as his captain’s picks? Let us know in the comments, and keep it here at Pro Golf Now for more updates leading up to the Ryder Cup.

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