European captain Paul McGinley has admitted that Ian Poulter's heroics at Medinah two years ago made it almost impossible to leave him out of the Ryder Cup team.
Poulter, along with Stephen Gallacher and Lee Westwood, were handed wildcard picks for the 2014 event at Gleneagles, which takes place from September 26 to September 28.
The 38-year-old Englishman played a pivotal role in helping Europe overcome a 10-4 deficit to win on American soil in 2012, in what has been described as the greatest comeback in the history of the tournament.
He has endured a frustrating, injury-plagued season, having amassed fewer world ranking points than anybody else in the top 40 apart from Tiger Woods, but McGinley insists that there is nobody else he would rather have in his dozen.
"When it comes to Ian Poulter, who wouldn't want him in the Ryder Cup team with his performances?" McGinley said to Sky Sports News. "Particularly in Medinah in the last Ryder Cup, he almost single handedly got us over the line and got us within touching distance of the Americans going into the singles.
"He's had an incredible Ryder Cup record and it was hard to leave Ian Poulter out of a Ryder Cup team. The world of sport is about passion and no-one had more passion than Ian Poulter at Medinah. For me, it was one of the greatest achievements by anyone in any sport.
"He knows as well as I do that the Americans are gunning for him. There are a lot of people in their team who are looking forward to playing him – and gunning for him. But there is no better person than him to rise to the challenge."
Poulter, who has been a part of three victorious European teams, has won 12 out of 15 matches since debuting in 2004 to boast a better Ryder Cup record than anybody else to have played that amount.
