September 2, 2014 –Stephen Gallacher, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have today been named by European Captain Paul McGinley as his three wild card selections for The 2014 European Ryder Cup team.
The trio will join Thomas Björn, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson on The PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles from September 26-28, as Europe bid to retain the trophy won in such dramatic fashion in Medinah two years ago.
Poulter and Westwood, of course, were members of that Medinah team, while Gallacher will be making his Ryder Cup debut in his home country. For Westwood, the appearance will see him make another significant mark in the history of the biennial match against the United States.
Having played in every Ryder Cup since making his debut at Valderrama in 1997, the 2014 contest in Scotland will be the 41 year old Englishman’s ninth consecutive appearance, taking him to joint fourth in the all-time European appearance list behind Sir Nick Faldo (11), Bernhard Langer and Christy O’Connor (both ten) and alongside Dai Rees.
Lee Westwood, who has an overall record of 18 wins and six halves from his 37 matches spanning 17 years, said: “I’m obviously delighted. The Ryder Cup has always been a massive thing for me and I was delighted to get the call from Paul. It was a long day yesterday but when Paul rang with the good news I was relieved.”
Ian Poulter said: “I’m absolutely thrilled. To get the call was amazing. I can’t wait for Gleneagles. It’s a fantastic feeling and I’m proud to be a pick. The Ryder Cup means a lot to me and I can’t wait. It’s always difficult to make a Ryder Cup team and this one was no different. Paul had a very difficult decision with some fantastic players to pick from.”
Completing the wild card line-up is Gallacher, who will thrill the home crowds at Gleneagles when he tees up for his Ryder Cup debut at the age of 39. The Scot battled valiantly to try to claim one of the nine automatic places on offer but came up one place shy in last week’s Open d’Italia, leaving him a mere 1.61 points short on the World Points List.
Stephen Gallacher said: “It’s massive for me and my family. It’s been a goal all my career to play in The Ryder Cup and I was delighted to get the call from Paul. It was a long day yesterday.”
Commenting on his decision, Paul McGinley said: “I am delighted to name Stephen, Ian and Lee as my wild card selections which completes the 2014 European Ryder Cup team, a team which everyone in Europe should be proud of.”
