Pieters' power play won Ryder Cup call-up, says Clarke

LONDON (Reuters) - Thomas Pieters gave Darren Clarke a close-up view of his talent when he shot a 62 playing alongside Europe's Ryder Cup captain in Denmark last week. Clarke asked to partner the 6ft 5in Belgian at the Made in Denmark event in Farso and saw him excel with a first round that equalled the course record in an event he went on to win by posting birdies on the last three holes of his final round. "Last week I played with him and it was one of the finest 62s I have ever witnessed," Clarke told a news conference on Tuesday when he confirmed Pieters as one of his three wildcard picks. "He didn't hole anything for it. Normally when someone shoots a really low number, they hole a couple of 30 footers or they chip it in," said Clarke. "He made the game look ridiculously easy. He has impressed me so much I found it impossible to leave him out. He has the talent to go all the way to the top of the world in my belief. He is a very gifted young man but also a very funny young man." To prove the point, Clarke revealed that Pieters had just texted him to see if had remembered to switch his phone off as the Ulsterman prepared to face the cameras at Wentworth. "He just sent me a message before we went on air, saying: 'Testing, testing, is your phone off?' That's why I was laughing. I am delighted to have him as part of the team." Pieters, the world number 41, will be only the second Belgian after Nicolas Colsaerts to play in the Ryder Cup. The 24-year-old's game is built on power and, after turning professional in 2013, he has quickly forged a reputation as one of the longest drivers in the game. That win in Denmark was his third on the European Tour over the past year, and part of a rich vein of August form in which he also finished second in the Czech Masters and fourth in the Olympics. But Pieters has never been close to a major - his best position was 30th at the 2016 British Open - and his selection represents a gamble for Clarke, who could have chosen either Luke Donald or Russell Knox, both of whom are more experienced in American conditions. Pieters is one of six rookies and no previous European team has won in the United States with such a callow line-up. Clarke remains unconcerned, believing that with former world number ones Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer also on board, Europe have the right balance of raw talent and experience to post their fourth successive Ryder Cup victory. (Reporting by Neil Robinson, editing by Ed Osmond)