MUNICH, Germany — Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik were selected as wild cards for the European Ryder Cup team Sunday, completing the squad that will challenge the United States at The Belfry.
European captain Sam Torrance announced the picks after Phillip Price hung on to take the 10th automatic berth based on tour standings.
Joining Garcia (Spain), Parnevik (Sweden) and Price (Wales) for the matches Sept. 28-30 in England are: Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Colin Montgomerie (Scotland), Pierre Fulke (Sweden), Lee Westwood (England), Niclas Fasth (Sweden), Paul McGinley (Ireland) and Bernhard Langer (Germany).
"Sergio is No. 6-No. 7 in the world, obviously world class, tremendous asset to the team," Torrance said. "Jesper is No. 21 in the world, a great asset to the team. They've both been there before and done it and have a lot of experience."
Torrance had said that the 21-year-old Garcia would be chosen. But he acknowledged having a tough time choosing among Parnevik, Jose Maria Olazabal and Paul Casey.
"It wasn't the right time to pick a rookie," he said of Casey, a 24-year-old former U.S. college star who won the Scottish PGA last week for his first pro title. "His time will come."
"With Olazabal and Parnevik, it was very difficult," Torrance said. "There is no one with a bigger heart than Jose Maria. Unfortunately, he's not on top of his game.
"It was very tough to leave out someone of his stature, no one tries harder, no one is better in the team room. It was tough to leave him out."
U.S. captain Curtis Strange, who announced Paul Azinger and rookie Scott Verplank as his wild-card selections last month, said he wasn't surprised by Torrance's choices.
"Sam's decision makes a lot of sense, especially after their performance in 1999," he said. "In Sergio, Sam's got one of the most exciting young players in the world of golf today, not to mention an individual with a 3-1-1 cup record. In Jesper, he's got a cup veteran who is very familiar with the matches."
Torrance said Olazabal — a veteran of six Ryder Cups — accepted the decision with grace.