Luke Donald Defines the European Team for the Ryder Cup
European captain Luke Donald has completed his 12-player team for the upcoming Ryder Cup, including six players who were key in the team’s victory two years ago in Rome. The selection promises a mix of experience and young talent to face the challenge. Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, and Matt Fitzpatrick were announced as Donald’s selections for the matches against the United States, which will take place from September 26 to 28 at Bethpage Black. Donald is betting on continuity, bringing to New York 11 of the 12 players who won the Ryder Cup for Europe in 2023. The only change compared to the previous team is the inclusion of Rasmus Hojgaard instead of his twin brother, Nicolai. Hojgaard is the only rookie on the European 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 contributed to a famous comeback on the final day, known as the “Miracle at Medinah”. That was the last time a team won the Ryder Cup as a visitor.As for the rankings, Lowry, Straka, Aberg, Hovland, and Fitzpatrick occupied positions 7 to 11 in the European Ryder Cup rankings. Matt Wallace, ranked number 12, could feel unlucky not to be selected. Instead, Rahm, a two-time major champion and former world number 1, was selected, who was recently crowned LIV Golf individual champion for the second consecutive year. The American team has already been announced. American captain Keegan Bradley announced his selections last week, and the most notable news was his absence. Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young, Ben Griffin, Sam Burns, and Patrick Cantlay will join Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Harris English, Bryson DeChambeau, J.J. Spaun, and Russell Henley on the team. Americans will have four rookies: Spaun, Henley, Young, and Griffin.“Obviously, there’s a lot of continuity with respect to Rome,” Donald commented. “It’s unusual to have so many people returning, but that shows how good these players are. Although we have a lot of continuity, playing away from home in America is different. We understand how difficult it is.”
Luke Donald
