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Joost Luiten overcame a poor start and a nervous finish to claim his fourth European Tour title in the ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor on Sunday. And there was good news for Ryder Cup debutant Jamie Donaldson ahead of this week’s event as he carded a 67 to finish fourth alongside Nicolas Colsaerts, Eddie Pepperell, Marc Warren and Edoardo Molinari.
“I’m happy the way I played over the last four or five weeks, building up to the Ryder Cup,” Donaldson said. “I couldn’t have asked for any more, really.”
European team-mates Thomas Bjorn and Lee Westwood carded closing rounds of 74 and 76 respectively, with Westwood having to birdie the 16th and 18th to avoid an even worse score. “I needed to play some competitive golf and I’ve done that,” said Westwood, 41, ahead of his ninth Ryder Cup. “I hit a few good shots this week, not so good today, but I probably had one eye on next week.”
Luiten, fifth in the defence of his KLM Open title last week, saw a two-shot overnight lead disappear when he bogeyed the first two holes of the final round. But the 28-year-old Dutchman hit back with three birdies and one bogey on the back nine to card a closing 71 and finish 14 under par, one shot ahead of England’s Tommy Fleetwood and Ireland’s Shane Lowry.
Fleetwood had looked out of contention following a double-bogey on the 13th, but then chipped in for a birdie on the 14th, holed from five feet for an eagle on the next and also birdied the last three holes for a closing 67.
Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guideShow all 24 1 /24Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Europe: Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) Age: 25
Caps: 2 (2010, 2012)
Record: Won 4 Lost 3 Halved 2
Majors: 4 (2011 US Open, 2012 US PGA, 2014 Open, 2014 US PGA)
McIlroy finished top of both qualifying lists by a massive margin thanks to a brilliant season which saw him win the BMW PGA Championship in May and then record three victories in succession in the Open Championship, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA Championship. Famously described the Ryder Cup as "an exhibition" the year before making his debut in 2010, but has changed his opinion since the narrow victories at Celtic Manor and Medinah, where he beat Keegan Bradley in the singles despite only arriving at the course with minutes to spare.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Henrik Stenson (Sweden) Age: 38
Caps: 2 (2006, 2008)
Record: W2 L3 H2
Majors: 0
Effectively sealed his place on the team in November last year when he won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to become the first player to win the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same season. Has unsurprisingly struggled to reach the same heights in 2014 but was fourth in the US Open and third in the US PGA Championship, where he shared the lead on the back nine in the final round before a costly three-putt bogey on the 14th. Played in the record-equalling victory in 2006 but also Europe's last defeat in 2008.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Victor Dubuisson (France) Age: 24
Caps: 0
Majors: 0
Won his first European Tour title in Turkey last year and followed that by finishing third behind Stenson in Dubai the following week. Made sure of his place in the team by finishing runner-up in the Accenture Match Play in February, producing some miraculous recovery shots in the final against Jason Day. An enigmatic figure who played in the junior Ryder Cup in 2006.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Jamie Donaldson (Wales) Age: 38
Caps: 0
Majors: 0
Secured his place on the team in style by winning the penultimate counting event, the Czech Masters, for his third European Tour title. Took a long time to break into the winner's circle at the Irish Open in 2012 but then won in Abu Dhabi the following year and was second in both the Nedbank Golf Challenge and WGC-Cadillac Championship.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Sergio Garcia (Spain) Age: 34
Caps: 6 (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012)
Record: W16 L8 H4
Majors: 0
A talismanic figure for Europe, so much so that he was brought in as a vice-captain by Colin Montgomerie in 2010 despite becoming disenchanted with golf and taking a two-month break from playing. Won a crucial point alongside Luke Donald in the Saturday fourballs at Medinah and then beat Jim Furyk on the 18th in the singles. Has turned his previously weak putting into an asset and finished second to McIlroy at both the Open and Bridgestone Invitational.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Justin Rose (England) Age: 34
Caps: 2 (2008, 2012)
Record: W6 L3 H0
Majors: 1 (2013 US Open)
Played all five matches at Medinah and birdied the final two holes to beat Phil Mickelson in the singles. Claimed his first major title the following year in the US Open at Merion - again denying Mickelson - and won back-to-back titles for the first time in his career in the Quicken Loans National and Scottish Openearlier this season.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Martin Kaymer (Germany) Age: 29
Caps: 2 (2010, 2012)
Record: W3 L2 H1
Majors: 2 (2010 US PGA, 2014 US Open)
Admitted his form was so poor that he would not have picked himself for the team two years ago, but qualified automatically and ended up securing the point which ensured Europe would retain the trophy with victory over Steve Stricker. Won both the Players Championship and US Open by leading from start to finish in 2014, equalling the lowest halfway total in major championship history with consecutive rounds of 65 at Pinehurst.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Thomas Bjorn (Denmark) Age: 43
Caps: 2 (1997, 2002)
Record: W3 L2 H1
Majors: 0
Has not played in the biennial contest since 2002 but brings vast experience to the side after acting as vice-captain in 2004, 2010 and 2012. Victory in the lucrative Nedbank Golf Challenge at the end of 2013 was the catalyst for his return to the side, which was sealed by finishing fourth on home soil in the inaugural Made in Denmark event.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland) Age: 35
Caps: 3 (2008, 2010, 2012)
Record: W5 L5 H2
Majors: 1 (2010 US Open)
Held on to the final automatic qualifying place by 1.61 points after Stephen Gallacher was unable to finish in the top two in the last qualifying event in Italy. Claimed the winning point with victory over Hunter Mahan in the final singles match at Celtic Manor in 2010, three months after winning the US Openat Pebble Beach. One of just three European players to lose in the singles at Medinah.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) Age: 39
Caps: 0
Majors: 0
Successfully defended his Dubai Desert Classic title at the start of February but came into the final qualifying event needing to win or finish joint second with just one other player to dislodge Graeme McDowell from the side. Started the second round 15 shots off the lead and after six holes was outside the projected cut mark, but stormed home in 30 for a 65 and shot 65 in the final round as well, missing out on joint second by a single shot.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Ian Poulter (England) Age: 38
Caps: 4 (2004, 2008, 2010, 2012)
Record: W12 L3 H0
Majors: 0
Has earned the nickname of 'Mr Ryder Cup' and it is not difficult to see why. Has twice needed a wild card, including in 2012, but has raised his game on every occasion and none more so than at Medinah. Won all four of his matches and famously birdied the last five holes alongside Rory McIlroy to beat Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson in the Saturday fourballs, after which he told his team-mates 'We have a pulse.' Also beat Webb Simpson in the singles to take his record to 12 wins from 15 matches.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Lee Westwood (England) Age: 41
Caps: 8 (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012)
Record: W18 L13 H6
Majors: 0
Finished seventh in the Masters in April and won in Malaysia the following week, but suffered a slump in form until a final round of 63 in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August. The 41-year-old also shared the lead after the first round of the US PGA Championship before finishing 15th, but failed to advance after the first FedEx Cup play-off event. Boasts vast experience with eight consecutive appearances since making his debut in 1997.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide USA: Bubba Watson Age: 35
Caps: 2 (2010, 2012)
Record: Won 3 Lost 5 Halved 0
Majors: 2 (Masters 2012, 2014)
Effectively secured his place on the team with his second Masters title at Augusta in April having already won the Northern Trust Open earlier in the season. Played in the narrow defeats in 2010 and 2012, losing the opening singles match to Luke Donald at Medinah.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Rickie Fowler Age: 25
Caps: 1 (2010)
Record: W0 L1 H2
Majors: 0
Has won just one PGA Tour event in his career but compiled an impressive record in major championships in 2014, finishing joint fifth in the Masters, joint second in both the US Open and Open Championship and joint third in the US PGA. "This is the first one that hurts," he said after a costly bogey late in the final round at Valhalla.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Jim Furyk Age: 44
Caps: 8 (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012)
Record: W9 L17 H4
Majors: 1 (US Open 2003)
Has not won a PGA Tour event since 2010 but recorded seven top-10 finishes this season, including a fourth place in the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Another player with a point to prove after Medinah, where he bogeyed the last two holes to lose his crucial singles match to Sergio Garcia.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Jimmy Walker Age: 35
Caps: 0
Majors: 0
Won his first PGA Tour title in his 188th start and claimed two more victories in his next seven events to secure a Ryder Cup debut by February. Also recorded top-10 finishes in the Masters and US Open.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Phil Mickelson Age: 44
Caps: 9 (1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012)
Record: W14 L18 H6
Majors: 5 (Masters 2004, 2006, 2010, US PGA 2005, Open 2013)
Already the record holder with nine appearances, Mickelson also reached an unwanted record at Celtic Manor, accumulating the most defeats against Europe. Was determined to maintain proud record of qualifying automatically for each team and did so by finishing second to Rory McIlroy in the US PGA Championship.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Matt Kuchar Age: 36
Caps: 2 (2010, 2012)
Record: W3 L2 H2
Majors: 0
Former US Amateur champion topped the PGA Tour money list in 2010 and combined with Gary Woodland in 2011 to give the United States their first World Cup victory since 2000. Was fifth in this year's Masters and won his seventh PGA Tour title the following week in the RBC Heritage.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Jordan Spieth Age: 21
Caps: 0
Majors: 0
Shot to fame by winning the 2013 John Deere Classic at the age of 19, becoming the first teenage winner on the PGA Tour since 1931. Held a two-shot lead after seven holes in the final round of this year's Masters, but eventually finished second behind Watson.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Patrick Reed Age: 24
Caps: 0
Majors: 0
Caused controversy after his victory in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral - his second win of the season - by claiming he was one of the top five players in the world. Missed the cut in four of his next six events but finished fourth in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to effectively secure his place.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Zach Johnson Age: 38
Caps: 3 (2006, 2010, 2012)
Record: W6 L4 H1
Majors: 1 (Masters 2007)
Won his 11th PGA Tour title in Hawaii in January and recorded five other top-10 finishes in a consistent season. Won two of his three matches with Jason Dufner in 2012 and was only denied a 100 per cent record by a sensational performance from Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy in the Saturday fourballs. Beat Graeme McDowell in the singles, one of just three American wins that day.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Keegan Bradley Age: 28
Caps: 1 (2012)
Record: W3 L1 H0
Majors: 1 (US PGA 2011)
Formed a superb partnership with Phil Mickelson at Medinah, winning their first three matches comfortably before controversially opting out of the Saturday afternoon fourballs citing fatigue. Lost in the singles to Rory McIlroy, who only arrived at the course with minutes to spare after getting his time zones mixed up.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Hunter Mahan Age: 32
Caps: 2 (2008, 2010)
Record: W3 L2 H3
Majors: 0
Went unbeaten on the winning side at Valhalla in 2008, claiming three and a half points from five matches, but is best remembered for losing the vital final singles match to Graeme McDowell at Celtic Manor two years later. Comes into the event in form after winning the first FedEx Cup play-off event and finishing seventh in the US PGA Championship.
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Ryder Cup 2014: Europe vs USA team guide Webb Simpson Age: 29
Caps: 1 (2012)
Record: W2 L2 H0
Majors: 1 (US Open 2012)
Picked by Tom Watson on the strength of his two resounding fourball wins alongside Bubba Watson at Medinah, the pair defeating Paul Lawrie and Peter Hanson and Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari 5&4. Lost his singles match to Ian Poulter but comes into this year's contest in decent form with two top-10 finishes in his last three events.
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That left Luiten needing to par the last three holes to win and he looked to have done the hard part with a superb up and down from a greenside bunker on the 17th, only to hit an amazingly wild drive on the last.
It took several minutes for the ball to be found in dense rough but Luiten was able to hack it across the fairway and into more rough, from where he found the green with his approach and two-putted from long range.
“It was hard work down the last,” admitted Luiten, who had been considered by Europe captain Paul McGinley for a Ryder Cup wild card.
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