Luke Donald Defines the European Team for the Ryder Cup
The European captain, Luke Donald, has completed his 12-player team for the upcoming Ryder Cup, selecting six golfers who contributed to the team’s victory in Rome two years ago. Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, and Matt Fitzpatrick were announced as Donald’s picks for the matches against the United States, which will take place from September 26 to 28 at Bethpage Black. Donald is betting on continuity, including 11 of the 12 players who won the Ryder Cup for Europe in 2023. The only notable change is the incorporation of Rasmus Hojgaard, instead of his twin brother, Nicolai. Hojgaard is the only rookie on the team, having automatically qualified alongside Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose and Tyrrell Hatton. The last time Europe had a single rookie was in 2012, when Nicolas Colsaerts was key in the historic comeback at the “Miracle at Medinah”. That was the last time a team won the Ryder Cup as a visitor.Donald added: “Although we have a lot of continuity, playing away from home in the United States is different. We understand how difficult it is.” Lowry, Straka, Aberg, Hovland, and Fitzpatrick were ranked between 7th and 11th in the European Ryder Cup ranking. Matt Wallace, number 12, could feel unlucky not to be selected. Instead, Rahm, a two-time major champion and former world number 1, was chosen, who was recently crowned LIV Golf individual champion for the second consecutive year.“Obviously, there’s a lot of continuity from Rome,” Donald said. “It’s unusual to have so many people repeating, but it shows how good these players are.
Luke Donald
