Bests and Worsts By Ryder Cup Captain's Picks

We listed every Ryder Cup captain's pick and his record in each Ryder Cup played on the previous page. Now, here are the bests and worsts by those wildcard selections - the golfers who've been a captain's pick most often, who won and lost the most matches as a wildcard, and more, similar tournament records.

Golfers Who've Been Captain's Picks Multiple Times
Through the 2010 matches, a total of 12 golfers have been selected more than once as a captain's pick.

• 4 times - Nick Faldo (1985, 1991, 1995, 1997)

• 3 times - *Jose Maria Olazabal (1987, 1991, 1993), Jesper Parnevik (1997, 1999, 2002), Stewart Cink (2004, 2006, 2010)

• 2 times - Peter Oosterhuis (1979, 1981), Mark James (1981, 1991), Ken Brown (1985, 1987), Lanny Wadkins (1989, 1993), Raymond Floyd (1991, 1993), Fred Couples (1995, 1997), Scott Verplank (2002, 2006), Luke Donald (2004, 2010), Ian Poulter (2008, 2012), Steve Stricker (2008, 2012)

*Olazabal also selected (a fourth time) in 1995, but withdrew due to injury prior to the start of the Ryder Cup and was replaced on the European team by Ian Woosnam.

Win-Loss Records of All Golfers Who've Been Multiple Captain's Picks
Players are listed in order from best winning percentage (in parentheses) to worst.

• Ian Poulter, 8-1-0 (.889)
• Scott Verplank, 4-1-0 (.800)
• Luke Donald, 5-2-1 (.688)
• Raymond Floyd, 5-3-0 (.625)
• Jose Maria Olazabal, 8-6-1 (.567)
• Fred Couples, 4-3-1 (.563)
• Lanny Wadkins, 4-3-1 (.563)
• Jesper Parnevik, 4-3-4 (.545)
• Stewart Cink, 3-3-7 (.500)
• Mark James, 4-6-0 (.400)
• Nick Faldo, 5-10-0 (.333)
• Peter Oosterhuis, 2-5-0 (.285)
• Ken Brown, 1-4-0 (.200)
• Steve Stricker, 0-6-1 (.071)

Most Matches Won By a Captain's Pick, Overall
8 - Jose Maria Olazabal (1987, 1991, 1993)
8 - Ian Poulter (2008, 2012)

Most Matches Lost By a Captain's Pick, Overall
10 - Nick Faldo (1985, 1991, 1995, 1997)

Captain's Picks Unbeaten and Untied In a Single Ryder Cup
Scott Verplank, 2006, 2-0-0
Darren Clarke, 2006, 3-0-0
Ian Poulter, 2012, 4-0-0
Dustin Johnson, 2012, 3-0-0

Captain's Picks Unbeaten (But with Ties) In a Single Ryder Cup
Lee Westwood, 2006, 3-0-2
J.B. Holmes, 2008, 2-0-1
Hunter Mahan, 2008, 2-0-3
Stewart Cink, 2010, 1-0-3

Captain's Picks with No Wins or Ties In a Single Ryder Cup
Des Smith, 1979, 0-2-0
Peter Oosterhuis, 1981, 0-3-0
Nick Faldo, 1985, 0-2-0
Ken Brown, 1987, 0-2-0
Bernhard Langer, 1989, 0-3-0
Curtis Strange, 1995, 0-3-0
Andrew Coltart, 1999, 0-1-0
Steve Stricker, 2012, 0-4-0

Most Matches Won By a Captain's Pick In a Single Ryder Cup
4 - Ian Poulter (4-1-0), 2008
4 - Ian Poulter (4-0-0), 2012

Most Matches Lost By a Captain's Pick In a Single Ryder Cup
4 - Steve Stricker (0-4-0), 2012
3 - Peter Oosterhuis, 1981; Mark James, 1981; Berhnard Langer, 1989; Mark James, 1991; Nick Faldo, 1991; Jose Maria Olazabal, 1993; Curtis Strange, 1995; Nick Faldo, 1997; Nicolas Colsaerts, 2012

(Sources: PGA of America, RyderCup.com, About.com research)

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