Wadkins selects Strange for Cup

Lanny Wadkins, the non-playing captain of the United States, yesterday named Curtis Strange and Fred Couples as his two wild cards in the team to play Europe in Rochester, New York from 22-24 September, writes Tim Glover.

"It's been a tough ordeal for me with so many really great players to choose from," Wadkins said. "I'm very excited with the two I've picked.''

With two debutants, Jeff Maggert and Brad Faxon, qualifying on merit by virtue of their performances in the US PGA Championship, Wadkins felt the need to go for experience. Strange, who is 40, has not won on the American tour since capturing the US Open in 1989. When Strange left Los Angeles on Sunday, he asked Wadkins if he was in the team and the captain replied:"I don't have a clue." Strange feared the worst and at the time remarked:"People get wacko about the Ryder Cup. I'd rather win any event on our tour a hundred more times than making the Ryder Cup team." Yesterday, of course, he had changed his tune.

Two factors appear to have worked in Strange's favour. One is that, like Wadkins, he is a Virginian and the other is that his US Open win of six years ago happened to be at Oak Hill Country Club, the course on which the Ryder Cup will be played.

Strange was 23rd in the pecking order, the 35-year-old Couples 34th. Strange was joint 17th in the US PGA, Couples joint 31st. Couples began the year with back to back victories in the Dubai Desert Classic and the Johnnie Walker Classic in Manila, but has since been plagued by back trouble. It forced him to withdraw from The Open at St Andrews. "Fred is the finest American player when he's healthy," Wadkins said. "His back is now strong."

Wadkins referred to the fact his team contains two players, Corey Pavin and Ben Crenshaw, who have won majors this year. He made no mention of John Daly, the Open champion, who is 16th in the Cup standings.

Europe's major problem is that Jose-Maria Olazabal, Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo are outside the top 10 and the captain, Bernard Gallacher, who two years ago had three selections, now has only two. Gallacher's deadline falls after the Volvo German Open on 27 August. Woosnam, who was runner- up to Strange in Rochester in 1989, still has an outside chance of qualifying but Olazabal does not. It is assumed that Faldo will be one of the wild cards.

US Ryder Cup team

COREY PAVIN

Age 35. 2 caps (1991/93)

Record: Played 8, Won 4, Lost 4

TOM LEHMAN

Age 36. Debut

DAVIS LOVE III

Age 31. 1 cap (1993). P4 W2 L2

PHIL MICKELSON

Age 25. Debut

JAY HAAS

Age 41. 1 cap (1983). P4 W2 H1 L1

JEFF MAGGERT

Age 31. Debut

LOREN ROBERTS

Age 40. Debut

BEN CRENSHAW

Age 43. 3 caps (1981/83/87).P9 W3 H1 L5

PETER JACOBSEN

Age 41. 1 cap (1985). P3 W1 L2

BRAD FAXON

Age 34. Debut

FRED COUPLES

Age 35. 3 Caps (1989/91/93). P12 W3 H3 L6

CURTIS STRANGE

Age 40. 4 Caps (1983/85/87/89)

P17 W6 H2 L9

Captain: Lanny Wadkins

European Ryder Cup team

Top 10 in standings after German Open (24-27 Aug) qualify automatically, captain Bernard Gallacher selects remaining two team members

1 C Montgomerie (Sco) 646,974pts, 2 B Langer (Ger) 566,481, 3 S Torrance (Sco) 464,348, 4 C Rocca (It) 461,138, 5 S Ballesteros (Sp) 450,022, 6 D Gilford (Eng) 259,999, 7 P-U Johansson (Swe) 252,771, 8 M A Jimenez (Sp) 248,844, 9 M James (Eng) 246,930, 10 P Walton (Irl) 246,267.

11 J M Olazabal (Sp) 243,329, 12 I Woosnam (Wal) 228,295, 13 B Lane (Eng) 203,460, 14 J Rivero (S) 202,708, 15 N Faldo (Eng) 197,685, 16 D Clarke (N Irl) 193,150, 17 J Parnevik (Swe) 182,041, 18 H Clark (Eng) 181,188, 19 P Broadhurst (Eng) 167,126, 20 P Fulke (Swe) 166,666.