VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) – European captain Paul McGinley chose Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Stephen Gallacher as his wild-card selections Tuesday for the Ryder Cup, with Luke Donald the high-profile name to miss out.
Donald, a former No. 1, has been on the winning side on each of his four appearances for Europe but has struggled for form this year after making changes to his swing.
“He wasn’t expecting it – he was very disappointed,” McGinley said after announcing his picks at European Tour headquarters at Wentworth.
Gallacher will be one of three rookies in the 12-man European team that will face the United States at Gleneagles, Scotland, from Sept. 26-28, along with Victor Dubuisson and Jamie Donaldson.
The other players who qualified automatically for McGinley’s team were Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Thomas Bjorn and Graeme McDowell.