RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic golf course faces an uncertain future after a court proposed Wednesday that the under-construction layout should be modified to meet environmental concerns.

Judge Eduardo Klausner, hearing a lawsuit brought against the city of Rio de Janeiro and the course developer, said the defendants had to return Sept. 17 to say if they could accept the proposal. Klausner said work on the course could continue, but no new areas of vegetation could be plowed under.

In recent months, workers have been putting down grass on the course, with the hope of finishing by the end of the year. That would give the turf two growing seasons to mature.

Golf’s return to the 2016 Olympics after 112 years was to be a centerpiece of the Rio de Janeiro Games. But the course has been plagued by legal challenges over land ownership, questions about its location in a nature reserve, and other delays that date almost five years.

Mario Andrada, a spokesman for the local Olympic organizing committee, tried to find an upside.

“We are happy the construction on the course has not been stopped,” he told The Associated Press. He declined further comment.

In a raucous, at times chaotic two-hour-long hearing, Klausner heard from environmentalists, biologists and Rio city hall’s top environmental official, as well as attorneys from both sides.

Klausner played the role of mediator, nudging the public prosecutors, who brought the suit, to offer a proposal that would preserve as much of the Atlantic rainforest area as possible while allowing the course work to continue.

“It is in society’s interests that the Olympics take place and it’s also in society’s interests that the environment be preserved,” he said. “What has to be observed is legality, and within legality is respect for the environment.”

Isabela Lobato da Silva, a forest engineer with the state environment secretariat who visited the forested area before construction on the course began, said that while some forested areas have already been destroyed, the damage was not irreversible. She proposed the creation of a 400 metre-(yard-) wide corridor to allow for the circulation of animals between the wooded areas on either side of the course.

A biologist hired by the developer said that because the course layout has been set, it would prove difficult for it to be modified. The city’s Environment Secretary, Carlos Alberto Muniz, said that 10 days was too short to get approval from all parties including the local organizing committee.

A spokesman for the Switzerland-based International Golf Federation wasn’t immediately available for comment. However, in a recent interview Ty Votaw, vice-president of the IGF, said there were alternative plans if changes demanded them.

“There are contingency plans,” Votaw said, speaking at the British Open. “What they are is not something we’re going to share right now, but there are contingency plans.”

Also at the British Open, Votaw hinted the course was not going be as good as it could be.

“It’s probably not going to be as perfect as our ideal situation would be,” he said.

Course architect Gil Hanse has been encouraged in recent months as grass has been sewn. Organizers hope for a test event late in 2015 or early in 2016.

Activists suggested that financial and real estate interests, and not any real need for a new course, were the behind the push to build the Olympic course. Klausner stated it was not for him to judge the merits of another golf course specifically for the Olympics – Rio already has two.

The developer of the course project is Italy-born Pasquale Mauro, one of the largest landowners in the Barra da Tijuca area.

Plans call for the course, being built in suburban Rio near the heart of most games’ venues, to be public after the Olympics. However, this egalitarian ambition seems at odds with what’s to be built alongside the course on some of the area’s last undeveloped real estate.

A complex of 160 luxury apartments in four 20-story towers is to go up overlooking the course. Prices range from about $2.5 million to $7 million with completion set for a year after the Olympics end.

Environmental activist Marcello Mello, who has been campaigning against the golf course, hailed the proposal as a victory, though he added “we wanted to see the entire course moved.”

KARUIZAWA, Japan – Canada’s trio combined for a 5-under 139 to retain their two-stroke lead following Thursday’s second round of stroke play at the Iriyama course at Karuizawa 72 Golf East.

Brooke Henderson, a 16-year-old Smiths Falls, Ont. native, led the team for a second straight day with a 3-under 69. The National Amateur Squad member struggled out of the gate with a bogey on the par-4 3^rd, but countered with four birdies in her next eight holes.

Henderson, this year’s U.S. Amateur runner-up, was pleased with being able to fight back after struggling out of the gate.

“It was a slow start, the first few holes I was 1-over but I was able to get my game back a little bit,” said the world’s no. 2 ranked female amateur. “The birdie at the last really saved my round and got it into the 60s – any day in the 60s is a good day.”

Brittany Marchand, an Orangeville, Ont. native, posted a 2-under 70 as the team’s second lowest score on the day. The 22-year-old National Team member carded a crucial birdie on 17 to help maintain the two-stroke lead.

“I had quite a lot of opportunities coming up the last stretch and I was just missing them, lipping out, just missing the edge, so to make one on 17 was really good for my own confidence going into tomorrow,” said the 5^th year N.C. State student.

Augusta James, 21, struggled with a 4-over 76 after carding a 69 in the opening round. The Bath, Ont. native remains optimistic with the team format after her score was discounted as the highest of the three.

“We talked a lot this week about taking care of ourselves individually and focusing on each shot of our own game, which in the end will help the team,” said the 2014 Canadian Women’s Amateur champion. “I will continue to focus on that for the next two days.”

Team captain, Liz Hoffman, acknowledged the team’s slow start but credited the overall determination of the girls to get back to where they want to be.

“What I saw today in Brooke, Augusta and Brittany was just tremendous determination, they really worked hard at focusing and playing every shot to the best of their ability – I’m very proud of the team today,” said Hoffman.

She also credited the team’s success to their preparation, and direction from National Team Head Coach, Tristan Mullally.

“We do a lot of learning and work in prepping for each round,” she said. “We watch very carefully what each player is doing, how the ball is reacting, and we try to gain some advantage from that.”

Canada holds a two-stroke lead over Japan at 12-under par, who are closely followed by defending champion Korea at 11-under par.

The Canadian contingent is back on the Oshitate course tomorrow, scheduled for the late tee-off times, beginning at 11:05 a.m. (JST). They will be grouped with Japan and Korea.

Click here for team scoring.

Click here for individual scoring.

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. – Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy were eager to get to Cherry Hills for the BMW Championship, for reasons more than just advancing to the third FedEx Cup playoff event.

Mickelson is part of the history at the fabled club in the Denver suburbs.

Ogilvy had only read about it. He took a day off from golf and spent more time with his nose in a book than with a club in his hand.

“I did a little more research on Cherry Hills. It’s supposed to be pretty good,” he said Tuesday night. “Hogan hit 34 greens in a row on Saturday playing with Nicklaus, and then he spins it off 17 with what was nearly a perfect shot. I just want to see how impressive that was, to be honest with you.”

He was talking about the 1960 U.S. Open, the great convergence of three generations – Ben Hogan and his last good shot at a fifth U.S. Open title, Arnold Palmer’s most celebrated charge that began with a driver onto the first green, and the debut of Jack Nicklaus, a 20-year-old amateur who easily could have won that day.

“Not many courses have the history of Arnold Palmer driving a par 4,” Ogilvy said. “I just want to see it.”

Mickelson has experienced it.

Of the 69 players who advanced to the BMW Championship, no one knows Cherry Hills better than Mickelson. He played six matches in 1990 on his way to winning the U.S. Amateur when he was a college kid with his collar turned up and even more bravado than he has now.

On the first hole in one of his matches, it was taking so long because of rulings that Mickelson conceded his opponent a 35-foot par putt, and then rolled in a short birdie. He could only recall four of the six players he beat that week, though he remembers trying to drive the first green every day because that’s what Arnie did.

“I’m pretty excited to get back to Cherry Hills,” Mickelson said. “There’s an emotional tie there for me.”

And for all of them, there is work to be done.

The BMW Championship, which starts Thursday after a Labor Day finish outside Boston, is the final chance for 30 players to advance to the Tour Championship with all its perks, from a mathematical shot at the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus to a spot in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open next year.

Chris Kirk went to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup with his victory in the Deutsche Bank Championship, which assured him a clear shot at the $10 million even if it wasn’t good enough for U.S. captain Tom Watson to select him for the Ryder Cup.

The more compelling stories are those on the bubble, and no one feels more at home there than Ogilvy.

He missed the cut in The Barclays and was certain he would not be among the top 100 who reached the second playoff event. But he made it to Boston – by two points – when Troy Merritt missed a 10-foot par putt on the final hole at Ridgewood, and hours later, Brendon Todd made a 15-foot par putt on the same hole.

“I thought I was going to be a week-and-a-half into my drinking season at this point,” Ogilvy said.

He thought the same thing at the TPC Boston until he started making just about every putt he looked at over the last 27 holes. Ogilvy briefly was tied for the lead, and his 65-65 finish gave him a tie for second. But even that contained some drama.

Ogilvy was alone in third until Russell Henley made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to tie him. Then, Billy Horschel missed a par putt after hitting into the hazard, and Ogilvy wound up in a three-way tie for second.

Because of the points distribution, Ogilvy went from No. 30 after Henley made his putt to No. 24 after Horschel missed his putt.

“I found myself quite interested in Billy and Russell,” he said. “Normally, I wouldn’t. At a normal tournament, you would finish and say, `OK, this was a good week and move on.’ But the FedEx Cup makes you think about that stuff. In a 20-second period, I go from third on my own to tied for third and then tied for second.”

And with that good fortune comes more pressure.

Given the breaks he required to get to Boston, much less Denver, Ogilvy felt he was playing with house money. Now, he is close enough to East Lake – and a return to the Masters for the first time in three years – that it has his full attention.

“Not only is it a realistic proposition, I kind of have to mess up not to get there,” he said. “Before I said it was house money. Anything I did last week was a bonus. Now I’m back in the mix for the whole thing.”

Another guy on the bubble is Canada’s Graham DeLaet. The Weyburn, Sask. is the lone Canuck left in the PGA Tour’s playoffs. He’s currently 43rd on the FedEx Cup standings and will need a good finish to climb into the top 30 and advance to the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Inspiration can be found almost anywhere. In this case, look no further than the nine-year-old daughter of Steve Careau, Director of Golf at The Grand Vallon in Beaupré, Qué.

Frédérique, just nine years old, took the initiative to shave her head in front of 90-plus participants in a Golf Fore the Cure presented by Subaru event last month. Thanks to her remarkable courage, Frédérique raised $2,695 (a third of the event’s total donations) to be donated towards the Québec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Golf Canada is hosting the Golf Fore the Cure National Event on Sept. 22^nd at Carrying Place in King, Ont. to celebrate accomplishments like Frédérique’s, and the program’s success this season.

To learn more about Golf Fore the Cure National Event, click here.

KARUIZAWA, Japan – Canada sits alone atop the leaderboard after Wednesday’s record-setting opening round of 9-under par at Karuizawa 72 Golf East. They hold a two stroke advantage over defending champion Korea in the quest for the Espirito Santo trophy.

Canada’s combined score of 135 is the lowest first-round score in Women’s World Amateur Team Championship history. The record was previously held by USA, who recorded a 136 at the 2010 playing in Argentina.

The Canadian trio was led by teen sensation Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. The 16-year-old Team Canada member fired a bogey-free 6-under 66 to record the day’s lowest score. Henderson is very pleased with her start, but is looking forward to the next three rounds.

“Yeah, it was a great day today, I hit the ball really well and had a lot of opportunities to make birdies and I capitalized on a lot of them,” said Henderson, the world’s no. 2 ranked female amateur. “It’s good to get a run on the first day and I’m really excited to play the next couple days and hopefully continue at the top of the leaderboard.”

Augusta James, the reigning Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, posted a 3-under 69 – recorded as the team’s second lowest score for the day. The Bath, Ont. native was happy with her ability to stay calm and bounce back after bogeying the 10^th and 12^th holes.

“I had a bit of a hiccup in the middle with a couple bogeys, but I was happy to come back and finish strong,” said the N.C. State senior. “I felt like I could get to three or more under, so I was happy that I did that.”

Brittany Marchand, also a member of Team Canada’s National Squad, posted a 1-under 71 which was discounted as the team’s highest score for the day. Having an under-par score discounted is always a promising sign for any team moving forward.

“It’s always good to have a throwaway score be under par – it’s awesome that my teammates helped me out today,” said the Orangeville, Ont. native. “I made a lot of up-and-downs to save par and I missed quite a few opportunities for birdies, but I’m hoping those are going to drop the rest of the week.”

Although very pleased with the team’s performance in the opening round, captain Liz Hoffman is determined to keep the team focused on the remaining three rounds.

“I’d say we played the easier of the two courses and we saw some wonderful scores out there so we know we’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Hoffman. “We have three more rounds to play – we’ll take it one shot at a time, one day at a time.”

The Canadian contingent tees-off Thursday morning starting at 9:15 a.m. (JST) on the Iriyama Course.

Click here for scoring.

Brooke Henderson & Augusta James (USGA)

NEW YORK – U.S. captain Tom Watson went with experience and a gut feeling Tuesday night when he filled out his Ryder Cup team with Keegan Bradley, Hunter Mahan and Webb Simpson.

Not so valuable was recent success. He left out Chris Kirk, who finished higher in the final Ryder Cup standings than Simpson, and who won the Deutsche Bank Championship a day earlier by going head-to-head with Rory McIlroy the final 36 holes.

“That was a snapshot,” Watson said of his decision not to take Kirk.

The other two choices were not surprising. Even though Bradley has not won a tournament in two years and missed out by three spots qualifying on his own, he has raw power suited for this event and won all three matches in a partnership with Phil Mickelson two years ago at Medinah.

Mahan is the only pick who has been on a winning team, though he is associated more with the wrenching emotion that losing brings. Mahan was in the decisive match four years ago at Wales when Graeme McDowell made all the right shots in another European victory.

Mahan was left off the 2012 team, even though he narrowly missed qualifying.

Whomever he chose, Watson’s message was clear. The Ryder Cup, to be played Sept. 26-28 at Gleneagles, is all about redemption.

The Americans were poised to win at Medinah two years ago when they took a 10-6 lead into the final day, only for Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer to deliver key putts and big comebacks that allowed Europe to retain the cup.

Europe has won seven of the last nine times, and it will be heavily favored in Scotland.

Earlier Tuesday, at the European Tour headquarters in Wentworth, captain Paul McGinley selected Poulter, Lee Westwood and Stephen Gallacher, who will be 39 when he makes his Ryder Cup debut in his home country.

Bradley said last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship there wasn’t a moment that he was not thinking about the Ryder Cup. He feared being left off the team when he finished his round on Monday, and shared an emotional hug with his girlfriend when Watson gave him the good news.

“I made no secret how badly I want to go back and win the Ryder Cup,” he said. “This is a redemption year for a lot of guys who were on the team last year.”

Bradley and Simpson are among seven players who were on that U.S. team that was on the losing end of the “Miracle at Medinah.” The others are Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson.

The U.S. captain will be 65 when he leads his team, the oldest captain in history. Watson last was at the helm in 1993 at The Belfry, which also is the last time the Americans won the Ryder Cup in Europe.

He said Bradley and Mickelson likely will play together, as will Simpson and two-time Masters champion Watson. The captain said he was leaning toward a couple of players Monday night, but went with his instincts in taking Simpson. He said he looked at the 2012 results and saw a pair of 5-and-4 victories by Simpson and Watson during team matches. In the Sunday singles, Poulter won the last two holes for a 2-up victory over Simpson.

As for Kirk, he might as well keep those tickets for the Tennessee-Georgia game on Sept. 27. Even after winning a FedEx Cup playoff event for the biggest title of his career, Kirk said he was not entitled to a pick because he didn’t earn his spot on the team. Watson loved the attitude. He just went with Simpson, instead.

Simpson is No. 32 in the world, the lowest-ranked player on the U.S. team.

He tied for ninth at the Deutsche Bank Championship, and knew it might be tough when Kirk won the tournament.

“It was a big win for him. I knew it was going to be a difficult decision,” Simpson said. “But I knew a good, solid week would make it tough for the captain not to pick me.”

Mahan was a popular pick after his victory at The Barclays against one of the strongest fields of the year.

Furyk, Mahan and Mickelson are the only Americans on the team who know what it’s like to celebrate a victory. They all played on Paul Azinger’s team at Valhalla in 2008, while Furyk and Mickelson were part of the Great American Comeback at Brookline in 1999.

Mahan knows better than most what it’s like to lose. The 2010 matches came down to the final game, and McDowell went 2-up with a birdie on the 16th hole. Mahan stubbed a chip short of the 17th green that all but secured a European victory, and it seemed to him as though all of Wales stormed across the green when it was over.

“Losing lingers,” he said. “It’s been four years, but it feels like yesterday. I remember walking off the green and everyone was having a big party, and I felt like I was walking by myself for 600 yards to the clubhouse.”

BOND HEAD, Ont. – Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club outlasted 27 other teams, along with heavy rain, to claim the George S. Lyon Championship title September 2 at The Club at Bond Head.

Four-man teams from golf clubs across Ontario came together for the 79th playing of the event. Players took to Bond Head’s South Course in a combined gross-score format, with Cedar Brae earning the title by three strokes at 16-over (304).

The team from Cedar Brae, in Scarborough, was comprised of Toronto’s Robert Gibson, Scarborough’s Richard Persaud, Markham’s Wesley Kwok and Toronto’s Marc St-Germain.

At the end of the round it was Gibson who led the way finishing in a tie for second among all players at even-par (72). Persaud and Kwok were both second on the team at four-over (76) and St-Germain finished eight-over (80). It is the third title for Cedar Brae since the inaugural event in 1931. Cedar Brae’s last title came in 2006.

“Winning this is a big deal for us,” said Gibson. “There are so many good players at our club so I think just to be here and represent the club in a competition like this is an achievement. There are a lot of folks that are going to be proud of us when we get back. We’ve had our name on here (the George S. Lyon Shield) before, but it has been a while, so it is good to have it back on here.”

Gibson went on to discuss how the team dealt with the day’s rainy conditions.

“We just tried to keep the big numbers and damage down,” he added. “It was easy to give up, make big numbers and shoot high scores but we stayed patient and didn’t try to get any big numbers back, that was the main thing.”

Runner-up honours went to the team representing the Sarnia Golf and Country Club – Ethan O’Meara, Eric Pattenaude, Stephen Brown and Aaron Pedlar, who were three shots back finishing at a combined 19-over (307).

The bronze medals were awarded to the team from The Club at North Halton. They finished the day at a combined 22-over (310). North Halton was comprised of Darren Morris, Brendan Heinz, Adam Salisbury and Rick Cody.

Pickering’s Christopher Kertsos, from York Downs Golf & Country Club, walked away with the top-individual award. He finished at two-under (70) and was the only player to finish the day under par.

For the final individual and team leaderboard, click here.

The George S. Lyon Team Championship was first played in 1931 and ran consecutively until 2000. Originally an inter-club championship, the event was reinstated in 2006 and is named after 1904 Olympic Golf gold medalist George S. Lyon, who still stands as the reigning Olympic champion of the sport.

KARUIZAWA, Japan – The Women’s World Amateur Team Championship begins Wednesday, bringing the top amateur golfers from 52 countries around the world to 72 Golf East in Japan.

The Canadian squad is set to tee-off first thing in the morning at the Oshitate Course. Augusta James, a Bath, Ont. native and reining Canadian Women’s Amateur Champion, tees off at 6:45 a.m (JST). Brooke Henderson, a native of Smiths Falls, Ont. and world no.2 ranked amateur, will follow at 6:55 a.m. Brittany Marchand, an Orangeville, Ont. native and first-time selection, will close out the group at 7:05 a.m.

The Canadian contingent will be grouped with Hong Kong and Sweden in their quest to capture the Espirito Santo Trophy from defending champion Korea. The scoring format is four rounds of stroke play, with the best two scores from each day being counted towards the team total.

The men’s competition gets underway on Sept. 10 following the women’s competition.

The Team Canada women got a pleasant surprise when they arrived in Japan earlier this week – decorated rooms and letters from children.

Click here for live scoring.

It was an accomplishment that probably should be heralded as one of the greatest in the history of Canadian golf. Instead it is barely remembered.

It was 30 years ago, September 2 to be exact, that Jerry Anderson a Montreal native and Cambridge, Ont. resident became the first, and some would argue the only Canadian to win an event on the European Tour.

And he did it in spectacular style. Against a field that included Americans Payne Stewart and Hubert Green and every top player in Europe except Seve Ballesteros, Anderson won the 1984 Ebel European Masters Swiss Open the second biggest event on the European Tour behind only The Open Championship.

He fired rounds of 63-66-66-66 on the Golf-Club Crans-sur-Sierre at Crans-Montana in Valais Switzerland, where the event is still held, to beat Howard Clark by five strokes.

His 27-under-par was a European Tour record that stood for 19 years until Ernie Els finally beat it.

“Personally, that was one of my most remarkable achievements, not only winning the event but against the best Europe had to offer with the exception of Seve,” says Anderson who turns 59 later this month.

“I played with Hubie Green and Sandy Lyle on Saturday and with Jose Maria Canizares on Sunday in the last group.”

Anderson had a remarkable career that included multiple wins on the Canadian Tour (the forerunner to PGA Tour Canada). He captured the Quebec and Saskatchewan Opens twice, the Ontario Open, the Manitoba Open, the Canadian Professional Golfers Association Championship (now PGA of Canada Championship), the Windsor Charity Classic and the Canadian Tour Championship. He won on the Hogan Tour (now The Web.Com Tour) and came close to winning in Asia and Africa.

“The players I looked up to were guys like Graham Marsh and Gary Player, the international players that were able to take their game throughout Europe and Australia and Asia,” said Anderson. “That concept of golfer appealed to me more than the one-tour type.

“And I’m a little surprised that the emphasis for young golfers is still so pointed toward the U.S. I had a chance to see the planet and play golf everywhere and enjoy the experience of what the planet has to offer. There’s opportunities out there.”

For much of the 1980s Anderson played in Europe.

Obviously his win in the European Masters was the highlight of his career but for a four-week period in August and early September 1984 Anderson may well have been the hottest golfer on the planet.

“Four weeks before the win I had finished ninth in the Irish Open at Royal Dublin despite a double bogey on the last hole,” said Anderson. “I think the double bogey left me eight strokes behind Bernard Langer.

“The following week in York, England (Benson & Hedges International Open) I birdied the last hole to finish sixth. At that point I was something like 27-under for those two events.”

Those two tournaments set the stage for the (Lufthansa) German Open in Frankfurt.

“I played with Bernard Langer in the third last group and shot 63 on the Sunday,” says Anderson. “I was with Renton Laidlaw and some of the other European Tour reporters and they were getting ready to crack open a bottle of champagne for my first win when Wayne Grady finished birdie-birdie-eagle-par to beat me by one.

“I ended up shooting 17-under at that event and finished second.”

After closing with a 63 in Germany, Anderson opened with a 63 the following week in Switzerland and he thinks that might still be a European Tour record.

This time he would get to uncork the bubbly. Tied with Clark after the first round he led by three after two and four after three.

“I putted the lights out during that streak,” Anderson recalls. “I holed out a couple of times from the fairway and my driving was so good that I was just never in any trouble.”

Until that magic month Anderson said the season had not been going well.

“Whatever I earned in Ireland double the money I had won to that point,” he said. “I basically kept doubling my money every week over a four-week time frame.”

For winning in Switzerland he took home $25,000 pounds which at the time converted to about $48,000 Canadian dollars.

Anderson had success on virtually every tour but the PGA Tour. He played two seasons on golf’s biggest stage, 1990 and 1992 but couldn’t recreate the success he’d had on other circuits.

“It wasn’t for lack of trying,” he says.

The end of Anderson’s competitive career came in the fall of 1994.

Seeing the world and playing golf in remote locations that he had loved so much early in his career suddenly became a grind. His wife Barbara, who had travelled with him during his European Tour days, was home in Cambridge with their young children Chrysse and Luke.

“I had been in South America for 25 days,” he recalls. “I shot 77 in the first round of the Ecuador Open. I went to the tournament organizers and withdrew and caught the next flight home.”

He’s played hardly any competitive golf since, other than the odd one-day pro-am.

Anderson’s time these days is taken up at Credit Valley Golf and Country Club where’s been the teaching professional for the last three years.

He was inducted into the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame in 2002. He’s not, however, in the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame nor was he included in the PGA of Canada’s inaugural Hall of Fame class this past January. Although in fairness to the PGA of Canada their inaugural class was made up entirely of PGA of Canada members who were already in the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

Anderson says he’s always believed he didn’t get as much recognition here in Canada for his win in Switzerland because the European Tour itself didn’t get much publicity on this side of the pond back then.

“Don’t forget that was before Europe started dominating the Ryder Cup,” he says.

“But I still get a kick out of watching a European Tour event on the Golf Channel and hearing the commentators mention my name and the record and wondering what I’m doing these days.”

VIRGINIA WATER, England – European captain Paul McGinley chose Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Stephen Gallacher as his wild-card selections Tuesday for the Ryder Cup – leaving former No. 1 Luke Donald off the team.

Donald has been on the winning side in each of his four Ryder Cup appearances but has struggled for form this year after making changes to his swing.

“He wasn’t expecting it – he was very disappointed,” McGinley said after announcing his picks at European Tour headquarters at Wentworth.

Gallacher will be one of three rookies in the 12-man European team that will face the United States at Gleneagles, Scotland, from Sept. 26-28, along with Victor Dubuisson and Jamie Donaldson.

The other players who qualified automatically for McGinley’s team were Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Thomas Bjorn and Graeme McDowell.

Europe will be defending the trophy after its 14 1/2-13 1/2 win over the U.S. at Medinah in 2012. U.S. captain Tom Watson will announce his picks later Tuesday.

Gallacher, a Scot, narrowly missed out on automatic selection after finishing third at the Italian Open on Sunday. A top-two finish would have seen him oust McDowell as the final qualifier.

But it was Gallacher’s eighth top-10 finish in 2014, leaving him as the form player of the four in contention. He lives only 35 miles (56 kms) from Gleneagles and has played well on the course in recent years, losing out in a three-man playoff at the Johnnie Walker Championship in 2013.

“His first words were: `That’s brilliant, wee man,'” McGinley said when asked what Gallacher’s reaction was to his selection. “Of course it’s a concern to me that he’s a rookie, and it’s very difficult to pick a rookie for a Ryder Cup. But I’ve said all along from day one, I’m not afraid to pick a rookie if he proves himself.

“And there’s no doubt Stevie Gallacher has proved himself and earned his spot on this team.”

Gallacher’s uncle, Bernard, captained Europe in the Ryder Cup in 1991, ’93 and ’95.

Poulter, Westwood and Donald have been stalwarts for Europe over the past decade, helping the team win five of the last six cups, but haven’t been in top form this year.

Poulter was unlikely to be left out as he usually saves his best performances for the Ryder Cup. He has 12 wins from 15 matches, and is on a seven-match winning streak – the last four coming at the “Miracle in Medinah” when Europe came from 10-6 down on the final day to retain the cup.

“Ian Poulter is a bundle of energy whenever you speak to him. You could feel the energy coming down the phone,” McGinley said.

Westwood will be playing in his ninth straight Ryder Cup, with his accuracy from tee to green likely counting in his favor. He has played well below his best for much of 2014 but won the Malaysian Open in April and responded to calls from McGinley to show some form by shooting a final-round 63 at the Bridgestone Invitational last month before finishing tied for 15th at the PGA Championship.

Donald has one of the best short games in the world and is a brilliant putter, making him a key player in Europe’s wins in 2004, `06, `10 and `12.

His second place showing at the RBC Heritage in April was his last top-30 finish on the PGA Tour, and he isn’t close to regaining the form that took him to No. 1 and made him the money-winner on both sides of the Atlantic in 2011.

“That was a very difficult conversation – my relationship with him is very close,” said McGinley, who was Donald’s partner for the Englishman’s first Ryder Cup match.

“He was very, very disappointed and rightly so. He is a former world No. 1, his record in the Ryder Cup stands with anybody in the game. He said, `You know, Paul, I publicly backed you to be the captain. Even though you haven’t picked me, I still believe you’ll be a great captain.’ His last two words were `Go Europe.’ That says a lot about him.”