Colin Montgomerie also chose three-time major winner Padraig
Harrington and Luke Donald, who is No. 10 in the world ranking.
In one of the toughest choices for any European captain,
Montgomerie had three picks for five worthy candidates. He had to leave off
Paul Casey, who is No. 9 in the world and played on the last three teams, and
Justin Rose, who won twice on the PGA Tour this summer at the Memorial and the
AT&T National.
Montgomerie suggested that he had made up his mind about
Molinari before he birdied the last three holes to win at Gleneagles.
“It made our job easier that he did win,” Montgomerie said.
“What he achieved in three rounds was enough to tell us that this player was
capable of handling the most incredible pressure so well.”
Harrington and Donald were on the course in the final round
of The Barclays in New Jersey. Equipped with the good news, Donald birdied his
opening six holes and shot 28 on the front nine to get into contention.
The nine players who qualified on their own for the Ryder
Cup team were Lee Westwood, US Open champion Graeme McDowell, PGA champion
Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Francesco Molinari, Peter Hanson, Rory
McIlroy and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Six of Europe’s players have never competed in the Ryder Cup
— the Molinari brothers, McIlroy, Hanson, Kaymer and Ross Fisher.
The Ryder Cup is Oct. 1-3 in Wales, with the Americans as
the defending champion. US captain Corey Pavin is to announce his four picks on Sept. 7 in New York.
Early birdies prop Laird to the lead
In Paramus, New
Jersey, Martin Laird, who started these playoffs at No. 95, ran off four
birdies early in his round and kept bogeys off his card Saturday for a 6-under
65 to build a three-shot lead over Dustin Johnson and Jason Day.
Laird was at 12-under 201. A victory for the 27-year-old
Scot would move him to No. 1, assuring him a spot in all four majors next year.
Tiger Woods will have something at stake Sunday, but it most
likely won’t be a trophy. He took a triple bogey after hitting his opening
drive off the property and now has to play solid in the final round to finish
among the top 100 in the standings and advance.
Johnson had a bogey-free 64.
Wie drops into a tie with Shin
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, overnight leader Michelle Wie
shot an even-par 72 to fall into a tie with Jiyai Shin after a rainy day at the
Canadian Women’s Open.
Shin shot a 69 to erase the three-stroke lead Wie took into
the third round at the St. Charles Country Club. Both were at 10-under for the
tournament.
Na Yeon Choi of South Korea sank a 60-foot birdie putt on
the 18th hole to move into a tie for third at 6-under with fellow South Korean
Jee Young Lee and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen.
