DARREN CLARKE HAS maintained that leaving Russell Knox out of his wildcard picks for the Ryder Cup was a tougher call than snubbing fellow Irishmen Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry.

Meanwhile, the European captain did not dismiss the suggestion that he has secured Liverpool FC boss Jurgen Klopp as a motivational speaker for his team.

Clarke held a putting masterclass at St Anne’s Golf Club in Dollymount on Wednesday morning in promotion of Aer Lingus before elaborating on his plans for the final weeks of build-up for Europe’s visit to Hazeltine later this month.

The Dungannon man raised some eyebrows with his wildcard selection for the 41st edition of the Ryder Cup a couple of weeks ago when he opted for veterans Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, along with Belgian rookie Thomas Pieters.

The selection of Kaymer and Westwood was not considered a shock as Clarke already had five rookies on board, but Pieters was something of a surprise pick as the Belgian (ranked 41st in the world) edged out US-based Scot Knox, who is world No 20.

Neither Lowry nor McDowell were considered likely selections on recent form, but Clarke insisted that opting against picking Knox was his most difficult call so far as captain.

That was probably the most difficult part of the whole thing thus far,” said Clarke on calling Knox.

“It’s not great to call Graeme or to call Shane and let them know that they are not going to make the team, but at the end of the day, they probably both knew themselves. We know who is playing well enough and who is not.”

US captain Davis Love makes three of his final four picks on Monday, but Clarke insisted that he is solely focusing on Team Europe ahead of tee-off on 30 September.

I can’t influence what Davis does, I can’t influence anything about his team,” said Clarke. “My priorities are the European team so all I do know is Davis is going to have to make a couple of tough decisions obviously like I did last week and he will find the right balance for his team as well.

“In terms of who he selects, they’re always going to be strong.”

As regards his own team’s build-up, Clarke, a Liverpool football fan, had revealed back in May that he planned on approaching Anfield boss Klopp for advice ahead of the Ryder Cup.

Dubliner Paul McGinley brought in former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson to provide a team talk during Europe’s win at Gleneagles and it looks as though Clarke may follow that lead.

The Irishman refused to specify who he has lined up to speak to his team, but he smirked at the suggestion that Klopp would be one, repeating his assertion that “I’ve got one or two people in mind.”

Clarke insisted that he is confident ahead of the Hazeltine tournament and praised Rory McIlory’s recent TPC win in Boston for providing a real morale boost.

Obviously to see Rory play and win the way that he did in Boston is a huge boost, not just for me, but for the whole team.

“Lee Westwood played great in Switzerland. Matt Fitzpatrick, Danny Willett, those guys are all playing well. The guys are in form or coming into form, so that augers well right now,” said Clarke, who also dismissed concerns surrounding Henrik Stenson’s knee injury.

“He’s fine, he will be okay, he’s raring to go, he can’t wait and physically all the guys are pretty fit now anyway,” said Clarke.

Darren Clarke was speaking as an Aer Lingus ambassador to promote their Great Escape Sale, covering all of Britain, Europe and North America. Visit aerlingus.com for details.

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