FARMINGDALE, New York — Scotsman Russell Knox sits fourth on the FedExCup points list but may need a strong showing at The Barclays, which opens the lucrative PGA Tour playoffs this week, to join the European Ryder Cup team.
Knox has won twice this season and had a pair of runner-up finishes but landed outside the group of nine automatic qualifiers because his win at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China did not earn him Ryder Cup points as he was not a European Tour member at the time.
European captain Darren Clarke will announce on Aug. 30 three picks to complete a team that will go for an unprecedented fourth win in a row against the US in the biennial event at Hazeltine in Minnesota starting on Sept. 30.
“It’s important but it’s not the end of the world. If he chooses not to pick me, I’m not going to sulk in the corner,” Knox told reporters at Bethpage Black Tuesday. “He has every right not to pick me. He has every right to pick me.”
Knox may not be as blase about the nomination as he let on.
“No contact with Darren Clarke. They are probably keeping quiet,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll hear from him a week today, that’s the goal.
“I feel like I’ve done everything I could do. I played my best. I made the commitment to join The European Tour so I was eligible. I played well. So I guess I’ve made my case and hopefully it’s good enough.”
Should Knox make the European team, he would become the sixth Ryder Cup rookie on the team, tying a record set in 2010 when Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer were among the first-timers.
Kaymer and fellow Ryder veteran Lee Westwood are rated favorites as wild card selections, with Knox, Shane Lowry and the experienced Luke Donald among others in the running.
Ryder Cup veteran Henrik Stenson said he did not think the high number of rookies would hurt Europe.
“Even though there might be rookies on the Ryder Cup team, when you have someone that’s the current Masters champion (Danny Willett), you don’t really put them in the rookie category,” said British Open champion Stenson.
“They have all done well to get in that position and played really solid to automatically qualify.
“It’s always good to have some fresh blood on there and I think we’ve got a strong team, despite having a lot of rookies.”
Stenson, who claimed the silver medal at the Rio Olympics, said he is slowly gearing up for the next series of events.
Rose returns to regular job
Justin Rose, still feeling the glow of winning Olympic golf gold at the Rio Games, says he hopes the experience will carry him on a strong run after claiming a prize he considers “at the top.” Rose prevailed in Rio in a tight, final-round duel with British Open champion Henrik Stenson and the Briton said the reaction to his victory has been overwhelming.
“The whole experience...exceeded my expectations and certainly winning has blown me away in terms of the reach that it has and the global audience that it has,” Rose told reporters at Bethpage Black, where The Barclays will kick off the FedExCup playoffs Thursday.
Rose, 36, said he felt the impact of his Rio achievement with all the media attention paid to him the past week.
After playing for pride and patriotism in Rio, Rose is now gearing up for a crack at the $10 million bonus prize for topping the list in the FedExCup playoffs.
