The former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance says that golfers Padraig Harrington, Justin Rose and Paul Casey would be his preferred wild card picks to face the USA.

Torrance admits he knows that would mean no place for Luke Donald in Colin Montgomerie’s European team for Celtic Manor in October.

'First of all, I would put Rose in,' Torrance told BBC Scotland. 'He has won twice in America this year. Then I would put Harrington in and you have to decide between Casey and Donald. I would probably pick Casey.'

Montgomerie faces what Torrance concedes is the hardest wild card choices of recent times because Casey, Donald, Harrington and Rose have not accumulated enough points.

All four have decided to play at the FedEx Cup play-offs in the U.S. instead of taking the chance to qualify automatically with a good finish at this week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

World number nine Casey is the now highest ranked of the four wild-card favorites, currently one place ahead of Donald, with Harrington 18 and Rose four places further back.