European Ryder Cup captain Pádraig Harrington says Shane Lowry was an obvious choice for his team to go to Whistling Straits later this month.
The Offaly native received a wildcard on Sunday evening alongside Spain's Sergio Garcia and England's Ian Poulter after he missed out on automatic qualification.
Another Englishman, Justin Rose, was the one to miss out.
Speaking to SkySports about his selection, Harrington said it wasn't a difficult decision to make.
"It was an easy pick based on his form.
"Can you imagine playing under that stress all summer? Being that guy that people are talking about.
"Shane is a big-time player. He delivers consistently under pressure. It was an easy pick. He definitely delivered for me and all the vice-captains.
"We don't think of him as a rookie. He is one of our leading players.
"He's probably delivered twice to get in the team because a rookie has to prove himself more than anything else.
"He delivers consistently under pressure and he'll bring enthusiasm into the team, we need the young guys in there, we need that bit of enthusiasm" Harrington concluded.
Proudest day of my career so far 🇪🇺 @RyderCupEurope pic.twitter.com/3sGKzBmWTz
— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) September 12, 2021
The selection means Lowry will live out a dream of his as he makes his Ryder Cup debut in Wisconsin on 24 September.
Reaction to the inclusion, Lowry said he felt both a sense of relief as well as excitement.
"I'm so happy. It's been a stressful few weeks and a stressful few hours.
"I felt like I did enough before this week, I was going out today trying to win the tournament and make the team.
"I'm just so incredibly happy and proud of what I've achieved.
"This is going to be a very special week in my career and I just hope I can go there and win some points for Europe. I don't want to just go and make up the numbers."
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