This week over half of Darren Clarke's Ryder Cup Europe side were in action at the Italian Open in Monza. We take a close look at how they performed here...
Danny Willett
Runner up
Another great week for the Masters champion on the European Tour. He has now finished tied 12th and runner up in his last two events - the ideal sort of form the Englishman was after heading into what will be his first appearance in a Ryder Cup. Willett's 267 total is his lowest ever on the European Tour and his only blemish came with a single bogey on his third hole of the week. Those numbers speak volumes about where Willett's game is at. Did someone say they were looking for a strong foursomes partner...?
Rafa Cabrera Bello
Tied 12th place
Another week, another solid performance for Rafa, who tee to green, was as impressive as ever in Monza this week. He found 59 of 72 Greens in Regulation for the week, one more than the winner Francesco Molinari. Rafa came to Italy saying he was a little rusty after some time off, but it did not show as the Spaniard posted rounds of 70, 68, 64 and 68. RCB still has not finished outside of the top 50 on the European Tour all season and hasn't missed a cut since October last year.
Matt Fitzpatrick
Tied 15th place
Matt Fitzpatrick enjoyed another strong showing in Italy that saw the 22 year old finish in a tie for 16th place, backing up his tied seventh finish at the Omega European Masters last time out. He led the field in par five scoring, playing the three par fives in 11 under par for the week. He looked to be getting on great with his teammates, Danny Willett and Martin Kaymer whom he partnered during the first two rounds, and appears to be oozing the sort of confidence that saw him make his big breakthrough at the British Masters supported by Sky Sports last season.
Martin Kaymer
Tied 20th place
Another week, another Martin Kaymer top 20. The German has now finished in the top 20 in six of his last seven European Tour starts and looks to be trending in the right direction at the perfect time. He appeared to relish playing with Fitzpatrick and Willett over the first two rounds and showed his ability to close out rounds, playing the last eight holes this week in nine under par without a single dropped shot. The two time Major champion will have to say goodbye to them for the time being as he heads to complete his preparation for The Ryder Cup at the Porsche European Open in his native Germany next week.
Andy Sullivan
Tied 20th place
Andy Sullivan came into this week with some suggesting the form that had taken the Englishman to three European Tour titles last year had deserted him of late. However Sulli put all of that to bed with an impressive showing in Monza, with that well known smile of his firmly back on his face. The three-time winner broke par in all four rounds and ranked inside the top 15 in both Driving Accuracy (70 per cent) and Greens in Regulation (81 per cent). European captain Clarke will be delighted to see that, as will Sullivan's teammates.
Chris Wood
Tied 20th place
Rounds of 69 and 63 over the first two days put Wood in a good position to challenge for the title, but a pair of 70s saw him have to settle for a top 20 finish. The BMW PGA Championship winner got it going on Friday, a round that included six birdies in the space of seven holes. Wood needed just 101 putts for the week, a tally bettered only by Brett Rumford. That sort of attacking golf and touch on the greens could come in very handy during The Ryder Cup fourballs.
Lee Westwood
Missed the cut by one
Not the week Westwood was hoping for, but he still finished in the red numbers and will not be panicking about missing a cut ahead of The Ryder Cup, having shown on countless occasions what a consistent, reliable force he is in the biennial match play event. Despite hitting 21 of the 28 tight fairways at Golf Club Milano, Westwood's putter let him down this week. However, the ten-time Ryder Cup veteran can point to a fourth place in Switzerland at the Omega European Masters in his last outing before Italy as a sign his game is in decent shape. Write Westwood off at your peril.
