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Ryder Cup: Europe Increase Wildcard Picks

Ryder Cup: Europe Increase Wildcard Picks

Europe's Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley will have three wildcard picks instead of two when they face the USA at Gleneagles next year.

McGinley announced the decision on Tuesday, after meeting the leading European players on the U.S. PGA Tour at the Players Championship.

He received their unanimous endorsement to increase his picks from two to three.

McGinleys predecessor, Jose Maria Olazabal, had just two wildcard picks for his team that defeated the Americans in Chicago to retain the trophy last September.

"I talked to the players and there was 100 per cent agreement,"McGinley told reporters at Wentworth ahead of the PGA Championship.

"I have said on a number of occasions that if something ain't broke then don't fix it, and I think that applies to the qualification process for the European Ryder Cup team.

"You only need to look at the record books to see that we haven't done too badly of late so I didn't see the need to make sweeping changes.

"I've kept the qualification list order the same as Olly had it for Medinah, the only difference being that I've increased the number of picks from two to three.

"I've done that to give myself a little bit of extra flexibility when it comes to making my selections. Hopefully this will ensure that I have the right players to face the examination paper that Gleneagles will set out next September."

In March, the captain of the United States team Tom Watson reduced his selections to three players, down from four, as captain's picks.