Waching daily Sep 2 2018

By the side of the 18th green, Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn broke into a wry smile and led the raucous applause — and no wonder

What he and the large crowd at the Made in Denmark tournament had just witnessed from England's Matt Wallace was so off-the-charts extraordinary it might just earn the 28-year-old a last-gasp invitation to the Ryder Cup

Wallace already had two wins to his name this year but had drifted to the realms of a rank outsider for a wildcard following a summer that saw him miss four cuts in a row

But how do you discount someone who showed once more that, when it comes to those gut-churning moments on Sunday afternoon when it's all about nerve and desire as much as talent, he is one of those rare golfers who becomes inspired? 'I think that finish showed who I am — grit, determination and not shying away from the big occasion,' said the Londoner, who birdied five of his last six holes to get into a play-off featuring three more Englishmen including Lee Westwood, and two more birdies on the two extra holes to win

'What would it mean to get a Ryder Cup pick? Everything. There's nothing more to say

' His clubs did the rest. Bjorn said earlier he was fairly sure about three of his four picks — probably Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson — but the last one was up for debate

If that's the case, then Wallace has to be a firm contender, and never mind that it would mean six of the 12-man team would be rookies

Three years ago, Wallace was playing on the Alps Tour, two rungs down from the European Tour

But he has won 13 times in that span on three different circuits to rise more than 1,600 places in the rankings

The tone for a thrilling afternoon in Silkeborg was set by another Englishman when Matt Fitzpatrick shot a second successive 66 to fall just short in his spirited attempt to snatch the last automatic qualifying spot from Dane Thorbjorn Olesen

'I'm pleased I gave it a go,' said Fitzpatrick, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Saturday

'If I don't get a wildcard, so be it, but I'm hopeful this is a sign of a lot more from me this year

' If truth be told, Olesen deserved to hang on. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a fine summer, and no American will enjoy his fearless attitude and wonderful putting stroke

Thereafter, it looked as if the Ryder Cup vice-captain Westwood would clinch his 24th European Tour success, four years after his last win

Over the front nine, the 45-year-old looked in complete control in establishing a three-shot lead, and particularly given his two principal rivals were the inexperienced Jonathan Thomson and Steven Brown, who are simply trying to make their way on tour

But it was the veteran whose nerve frayed. Suddenly the putts that were finding the bottom of the hole were coming up a foot short

Drives failed to find the fairway for the first time. Westwood played his last eight holes in one over, and that allowed his untested rivals to catch him

Both did wonderfully well. At 6ft 9in, 22-year-old Thomson is the tallest man ever to play on the European Tour, but it's his deft putting stroke rather than his huge hitting that caught the eye

As for Brown, he outscored his 10-time Ryder Cup partner down the stretch, and that will surely stand the 31-year-old in good stead

So, we had what must surely be the first four-man play-off in European Tour history where all the competitors came from the same nation

At the first extra hole, it was Brown who played his approach shot first — and he stuck it to three feet

That was too much for Westwood, who was unlucky with a birdie putt that shaved the hole, and Thomson, but not for Wallace, who struck his blow to seven feet and gutsily holed the putt

Back they went to the 18th tee, where Wallace repeated his birdie heroics for a stirring success