View From The Fairway by Derek Clements
As somebody who would have given his right arm to have competed at the highest level in any sport, I was sickened by the tactics employed by striker Alexander Isak to engineer his transfer to Liverpool.
The Swede only achieved what he did because Newcastle United gave him the opportunity to do so. To refuse to play for them in order to force a transfer was shameful.
Contrast it with the behaviour of Crystal Palace central defender Marc Guehi.
Despite knowing that Liverpool were desperate to sign him he played every minute of every game for his club and gave it everything. And when his dream move collapsed at the last minute because Palace couldn’t find a replacement there was not a word of complaint in public. He has almost certainly won himself a whole new army of fans and will, no doubt, end up at Liverpool during the January transfer window.
If Isak ever needs to find out how it should be done he should take a leaf out of Guehi’s book.
He also might be well advised to check out Matt Wallace’s interview with Sky Sports at the end of the European Masters. Knowing he had not done enough to earn a Ryder Cup wild card, it was a very difficult to watch as the tears flowed. Remember that playing for Europe in the Ryder Cup is something that you do without any personal financial reward – not something that Isak would understand as he picks up his monstrous weekly pay cheque.
(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)
After missing out on the 2018 Ryder Cup in a year when he won three times, Wallace was rightly miffed with then captain Thomas Bjorn at being overlooked. Bjorn was vindicated as Europe went on to enjoy a crushing victory.
So when he won in the Swiss Alps 12 months ago Wallace made it abundantly clear that his sole target for the year ahead was to make the European team.
He spent most of the subsequent 12 months competing on the PGA Tour and, in truth, he had a pretty average campaign.
He is ranked 72nd in the world – and he is there for a reason. Had Donald chosen him it would have put several noses out of joint. He would have been the lowest-ranked golfer in either team by distance (you can’t compare him with Jon Rahm, who plays on the LIV Tour and can only pick up world ranking points in the majors). There is no doubt in my mind that Marco Penge had staked a far stronger claim for inclusion than Wallace.
Wallace made 20 starts in America and made just 12 cuts with one top 10 finish and five top 25s. He didn’t make the field for The Masters although his performances in the other three majors were pretty good – US PGA (tied 17th), US Open (tied 23rd) and The Open (tied 45th). The truth is that he simply didn’t play well enough over the course of 2025. He had plenty of chances to make the team but in the end he came up short.
Captain’s picks are always controversial and this year’s are no exception.
There are those who will question the inclusion of Sepp Straka and Matthew Fitzpatrick. Other than Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, Straka is the only man to have won more than once on the PGA Tour in 2025. It is true that his recent form has been patchy but he is a ferocious competitor. Fitzpatrick had seen his world ranking tumble after a miserable 18 months or so but his recent form has been superb. When he narrowly failed to make the field for the Tour Championship, Donald asked him to return to the DP World Tour and he contended at both the British Masters and European Masters. Yes, he has a dreadful Ryder Cup record but he is a man in form.
When Wallace arrived in the Alps to defend his title he would have known that the only way he could possibly force his way in as a captain’s pick was by winning. And he came oh so close, finishing joint second, just two shots off the space. Bearing in mind the pressure he was almost certainly feeling, it was a heroic effort. But it wasn’t enough, and Wallace knew it.
The proof of the pudding with captain’s picks always comes with the way they perform in the heat of battle and whether or not they are part of a winning team.
From the moment Donald was first appointed captain for the home match in Italy he has not put a foot wrong. He admitted that leaving Wallace on the sidelines was an incredibly difficult decision.
He said: “It is the difficult part of the job to call these people that have played their heart out for 12 months and think they have done enough.”
Over the years there have been some pretty bitter responses from players who have missed out. However, it is a measure of the man that Wallace took to social media with the following response: “Big congratulations and best of luck to Europe’s Ryder Cup team heading for Bethpage, I’ll be watching and supporting and know the boys can bring the trophy home.”
And you just know that he will be in front of his TV cheering as loudly as the rest of us.
He continued: “For me now, this chapter closes. A new one is just around the corner. I feel my game has been in good shape over the last few months. I’ve put so much into this campaign and I made getting to Bethpage, a course I know well, my goal. Ultimately it wasn’t to be for me this time.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of the support and messages after yesterday. It was a combination of any final chance slipping away and coming up short in a tournament I have come to love and was desperate to defend.”
Although Wallace was never really in the picture I do have a feeling that Donald’s team may have been stronger for the inclusion of somebody who cares so much.
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