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, incorporating six golfers who contributed to the team’s victory in Rome two years ago. The selection includes key figures who will seek to repeat the success in this edition. Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, and Matt Fitzpatrick were announced as Donald’s picks for the September 26-28 matches against the United States at Bethpage Black. Donald is betting on continuity, bringing 11 of the 12 players who won the Ryder Cup for the European team in 2023 to New York. The only notable change is the inclusion 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 only one rookie was in 2012, when Nicolas Colsaerts contributed to a memorable comeback on the final day, known as the “Miracle in Medinah”. That was the last time a team won the Ryder Cup as a visitor.Donald also added: “Although there is a lot of continuity, playing as a visitor in America is different. We are aware of how difficult it is.” Lowry, Straka, Aberg, Hovland, and Fitzpatrick occupied positions 7-11 in the European Ryder Cup ranking. Matt Wallace, who expressed his excitement at being considered for the team, may be disappointed not to be included. Instead, Rahm was selected, a two-time major champion and former world number 1, recently crowned LIV Golf individual champion for the second year in a row.“Obviously, there’s a lot of continuity with respect to Rome,” commented Donald. “It’s unusual to have so many people repeating, but it shows how good these players are.”
Luke Donald
