McIroy On NLU Pod: 12 Best For Ryder Cup Only
/The Europeans have been way too quiet after a beat-down at Hazeltine while two of the better players in the world right now (Russell Knox, Paul Casey) sat at home (and maybe three given Alex Noren's play). Thomas Pieters, the other star for Europe in Minnesota, was a reluctant choice. 
So it was nice to hear Rory McIlroy on the No Laying Up podcast (nice get!) open up about the process of selecting a team.
James Corrigan transcribed and analyzed for the Telegraph.
“It should be the best 12 players from Europe versus the best 12 players from the US,” McIlroy told the Nolayingup podcast. “For me, there shouldn’t be anything to do with membership of tours. To have a guy like Paul Casey not on our team when he is playing some of the best golf in the world right now, it definitely hurt us [in Hazeltine].”
And he clearly understands that the captain's pick process has become as much about marketing as selecting a team.
“I know that isn’t as exciting in terms of captain’s picks and qualifying process and everything else,” McIlroy added. “But if we’re trying to make it the fairest way for the best 12 to make each team, I think that’s the way to go.”
**Lee Westwood concurs, but as Phil Casey notes in this story covering the remarks, the European Tour won't be running to change the rule anytime soon.
"At the end of the day, you're still European and you still have the passion to play for Europe and represent them.
"If you prove that you're world class on, say, the PGA Tour and not the European Tour, why should that have any bearing on whether you can play or not?"
It appears unlikely that Westwood and McIlroy will get their wish however, with Ryder Cup eligibility one of the ways the European Tour can try to prevent its top stars from playing full time on the more lucrative PGA Tour.
