Parnevik out of Ryder Cup Donald fears Ryder miss

Jesper Parnevik, Carl Pettersson and Mathias Gronberg are ruled out of the team because of the rule where members must play 11 European Tour events.

But unlike friend Lee Westwood, Clarke thinks the rule is a fair one.

"My personal opinion is that you should be a member of the European tour to play and that's what I have voiced in the committee meeting," said Clarke.

"I think you do need a commitment to our tour, although I can see the other side and down the line it's something we are going to have to seriously review."

The last time I checked the Cup was between Europeans and Americans, not the European Tour and the US PGA Tour Lee Westwood

England's Luke Donald is another who will probably fall foul of the rule although he holds a slim hope of managing to find time outside of his PGA Tour schedule to play in the required amount of tournaments.

"The last time I checked the Ryder Cup was between Europeans and Americans, not the European Tour and the US PGA Tour," said Westwood on Friday.

"If you ask Jesper where he is from he will say Sweden, while Luke Donald considers himself English, plays out of England and has an English flag on his golf bag."

Clarke revealed that there was "a heated debate" at this week's tournament committee meeting and that there was a proposal earlier this year to change it - but to make the minimum number higher rather than lower.

We're trying to do our best for the European tour - where will our future Seve Ballesteroses come from if we don't? Tournament committee chairman Jamie Spence

And the European Tour issued a statement on Friday refuting the suggestion European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer had approached the Ryder Cup board about relaxing the rule.

"Bernhard Langer has been at one with the tournament committee on this decision-making," it said.

Committee chairman Jamie Spence mounted a vigorous defence of the rule.

"An increasing number of guys are chasing the dollar and that is their choice, but what we require is that they still play 11 of our events," said Spence.

"With five of them in America we don't think that's too much to ask."