Rookies highlight nine automatic qualifiers for 

European Ryder Cup team

By Allen Etzler

GOLFWEEK.COM

Danny Willett will be one of at least five Europeans making his first appearance at the Ryder Cup this year. (Getty Images)

It’s a week before the Ryder Cup deadline for the European team, but the nine automatic qualifiers already have been decided.
Belgium’s Thomas Pieters needed to win the Czech Masters on Sunday and then win again this week in Denmark. However, Pieters came up short with a second-place finish in Prague, leaving
Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, Chris Wood, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Andy Sullivan and Matt Fitzpatrick as the nine automatic qualifiers for the European team.
Willett, Wood, Cabrera-Bello, Sullivan and Fitzpatrick are all first-timers at the Ryder Cup.
There are three spots left that will be filled with selections from Euro captain Darren Clarke.
Some prime candidates for selection include:
Lee Westwood: Clarke has made it known that he has a desire for experience on this team. Westwood provides plenty of that with a strong Ryder Cup record.
Martin Kaymer: Another Euro with Ryder Cup experience. Kaymer played in the event in 2010 and 2012, when the European team won both times. Kaymer has a 3-2-1 record in Ryder Cup matches.
Russell Knox: He would be a sixth first-timer for the Europeans, but Knox would be difficult to ignore, given his victory in his last PGA Tour event, the Travelers Championship.
Thomas Pieters: Another guy who would be a first-timer, but Pieters may be even more difficult to ignore than Knox. Pieters not only finished second this week at the Czech Masters, but he also finished fourth at the recent Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.