European captain Thomas Bjorn has selected Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson to complete his 12-player team for the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National, France.
The four captain’s picks join Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, Alex Noren, Thorbjørn Olesen, Jon Rahm and Justin Rose in Bjorn’s side to take on Jim Furyk’s United States team as Europe seeks to regain The Ryder Cup in Paris from 28-30 September 2018.
Casey, Garcia, Poulter and Stenson have a wealth of experience in the biennial contest with a combined total of 20 previous Ryder Cup appearances, the quartet contributing 48½ points to the European cause.
Garcia and Stenson are both Major champions and will feature in the biennial contest for the ninth time and fifth time respectively, while Garcia is only three points away from becoming Europe’s leading all-time points scorer.
Englishman Poulter has played a key role in four wins from his five previous appearances, including the streak of three consecutive European victories in 2010, 2012 and 2014, while his compatriot Casey returns to the Ryder Cup arena after an absence of 10 years, having played in three successive Ryder Cups from 2004 to 2008, contributing to two European victories.
Casey returns to the European Team for the first time in a decade after returning to winning ways in the United States at the Valspar Championship, with a further five top 10 finishes worldwide in 2018. The 41 year old started his Ryder Cup career in fine fashion in 2004, teaming up with David Howell to defeat Furyk and Chad Campbell in the Saturday fourballs as Europe sealed a record-equalling 18½ – 9½ win at Oakland Hills Country Club. The 13-time European Tour winner went on to win five points from nine matches across his three Ryder Cup appearances.
Garcia has contributed 22½ points in his eight previous Ryder Cup appearances and is joint fifth on the list of all-time European points scorers. The Spaniard, who won the Masters Tournament in 2017, has been part of five victorious European teams, and has a particularly impressive foursomes record, having won nine and halved three of his 15 matches in the format.
Poulter has an enviable Ryder Cup record, winning 12 of his 18 matches, and he remains undefeated in the singles. He has enjoyed an impressive season, finishing just outside the automatic qualification spots with four top 10s on the European Tour added to a victory at the Houston Open on the US PGA Tour.
The 42-year-old has given European fans many memorable Ryder Cup moments, including his performance in 2012 at the Medinah Country Club when he won all four of his matches as Europe produced a famous comeback.
Two-time Race to Dubai winner and 2016 Open Champion Stenson formed a formidable partnership with fellow Major winner Rose as Europe secured the last of three consecutive Ryder Cup wins in 2014. The pair were victorious in their three matches at Gleneagles, including a comprehensive 5&4 win over Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson in the Friday fourballs.
The Olympic silver medal winner has contributed eight points to the European cause over his four appearances, beginning with the 2006 victory at the K Club, with his most recent point coming in a 3&2 defeat of Jordan Spieth in the singles at Hazeltine.
Bjorn’s team will be looking to extend an impressive winning record on home soil which stretches back to Valderrama in 1997 – the first time the biennial contest was played on continental Europe.
