Luke Donald has unveiled his six captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup, including LIV Golf standout Jon Rahm, who will join the 12-man squad to face off against Keegan Bradley and Team USA at Bethpage Black.
The tournament is set to commence on Sep. 26, with Rahm, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, and Matt Fitzpatrick rounding out Donald’s selections as captain’s picks.
They’ll team up with automatic qualifiers Rory McIlroy, Bob MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard, and Tyrrell Hatton, completing Europe’s 12-man roster as they aim to retain the title won in Rome two years prior.
Donald, a former world No. 1, made such an impact as captain at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club that his players insisted he be granted the rare privilege of leading two consecutive Ryder Cups.
The Englishman has accepted the challenge and believes he has assembled a team capable of securing Europe’s first away victory in the Ryder Cup since the Miracle at Medinah in 2012.
The European lineup closely mirrors the victorious team from Rome, with 11 returning players. The sole newcomer is rookie Hojgaard, stepping into the spot previously filled by his twin brother Nicolai in Italy.
In Ryder Cup history, no team has retained as many as 11 players from the previous team.
Donald said: “I feel amazingly proud of these guys and how well they have played. Obviously a lot of continuity from Rome. That is unusual to have so many people coming back but that just shows how good these players are.
“Even though we have a lot of continuity, this is a different animal playing away in America. We understand how difficult that is. I have looked at it from very different angles to try and get us prepared for this amazing challenge ahead.
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“It is a different animal. Different challenge. Having the chance to do it again doesn’t mean that we are going to do the same things that we did in Rome. It is about implementing new techniques.
“I have tried to look hard at what this will require. I am very aware that we have lost three out of the last four away Ryder Cups be significant margins and it is a tough challenge. It is a tough environment. But I have done everything I can to give our team the best opportunity.”
