Two years ago in Boston the pair dropped only half a point from their four games together.

Olazabal has not had a top-10 finish since winning the French Open at the start of May but Torrance said that he was still weighing up the decision on the final day of the year-long qualifying race.

"It was very difficult to tell Olly but unfortunately he is not on top of his game," said Torrance. "Jesper will be a great asset.

"He’s been there, done that and has a lot of experience. He and Sergio could well be playing together again.

"It’s a testament to our strength in depth that Olly is missing. That’s how strong we are and I am absolutely sure we will have our 12 strongest players at The Belfry.

"Jose was fine. He’s a gentleman. It was not the decision he wanted to hear but somebody has to miss.

"He told me he will definitely be back and he wished me the best of luck."

Torrance also revealed that he had considered 24-year-old Surrey player Paul Casey - a professional for only 10 months but winner of the Scottish PGA title last week and seventh in the BMW International Open in Munich today.

Torrance had already promised 21-year-old Garcia his other wild card if he failed to take an automatic place in the team.

To qualify Garcia had to win the final event which counted today but he finished seventh in Munich.

Olazabal would also have qualified if he had taken the title, but despite a course record-equalling 62 in the second round including the first albatross of his life he came 13th.

The double Masters champion, again unhappy with his putting, appeared prepared for his fate afterwards. Grim-faced he spoke to television and press, but only to say: "From my point of view I think I am not going to be picked."

How much of a loss Olazabal is will never be known, but two weeks ago at the US PGA championship American captain Curtis Strange, knowing the situation the Spaniard was in, jokingly asked him if he wanted to take out US citizenship.

"I’ll have you," he said. It was a problem of Europe’s own making. Although the players’ committee recommended a change in the selection system for the match to take account of the fact that more stars were playing more in America, the Ryder Cup Committee rejected it.

Torrance’s decision came as no surprise to Olazabal. He suspected all along that Parnevik - 21st in the world rankings compared to his own position of 63rd would get the nod ahead of him if it came down to a choice between the two.

Both players have been critical of Europe’s decision to stick with only two wild cards once it became clear that more stars were joining the US Tour.

Olazabal, Parnevik, Garcia, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jean Van de Velde nearly half the 1999 side - now divide their time between the two circuits and none was able to make it into an automatic top 10 spot in the points table.

Two weeks ago Olazabal complained about the players’ request for a change in the system being ignored by the Ryder Cup Committee.

"We have been saying it for a long time but nobody listens," he said. "We are at the bottom - nobody listens."

Garcia added his dismay yesterday. "I will feel very sorry for the one who does not play. They are both great players and they deserve to be there.

"We don’t have enough picks. It’s a sad thing."

Bernhard Langer today proposed a radical, but simple change - pick the first 12 Europeans off the world rankings.

"The present system favours those who play a lot in Europe but if we stay with wild cards we should have four or five, not two," he said.

Colin Montgomerie has always been in favour of more wild cards too even 12 but on whether Europe have shot themselves in the foot he answered diplomatically today.

"If we go and win and everybody proves worthy representatives what can we say?" he commented.

"We have four rookies this time as opposed to seven two years ago and Fasth, McGinley, Fulke and Price might prove to be inspirational.

"You need your 12 strongest players and whether we have is to be proven. You can’t say before the game starts."

Parnevik has now been a wild card for the last three matches and while he won’t want to be reminded of his two singles results so far crushing five and four defeats to Mark O’Meara and David Duval he has yet to lose in foursomes or fourballs.

He has won on the US Tour in each of the last four seasons, most recently at the Honda Classic in March, and was Europe’s top performer at the US PGA championship a fortnight ago.

Olazabal has played in six of the last seven matches - the missing one being 1995, when he pulled out of the side because of a crippling injury which was originally diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, but then was discovered to be a herniated disc in his back.

He was out of the game for 18 months, but won his third event back, made an emotional Ryder Cup return in his home country in 1997 and two years ago won his second Masters title.

Olazabal’s last win was the French Open in May, but this weekend was his first top 10 finish since then - and it came too late to save him.