Luke Donald will have virtually the same team under his command at Bethpage Black as he had two years ago at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome. In fact, to the untrained eye, it might look like it’s exactly the same team.
The matter is probably one of the most curious off-course issues in Ryder Cup history. It so happens that in 2023, Nicolai Hojgaard was one of Luke Donald’s six free picks, while in 2025, Nicolai’s identical twin, Rasmus, earned his spot on the team as one of the six qualifiers. Therefore, the official team photo will look exactly the same, even if the group is different.
(L-R back row) Europe’s English golfer, Tommy Fleetwood, Europe’s English golfer, Matt Fitzpatrick, Europe’s Northern Irish golfer, Rory McIlroy, Europe’s English golfer, Justin Rose, Europe’s Spanish golfer, Jon Rahm, Europe’s Irish golfer, Shane Lowry, Europe’s…
(L-R back row) Europe’s English golfer, Tommy Fleetwood, Europe’s English golfer, Matt Fitzpatrick, Europe’s Northern Irish golfer, Rory McIlroy, Europe’s English golfer, Justin Rose, Europe’s Spanish golfer, Jon Rahm, Europe’s Irish golfer, Shane Lowry, Europe’s Norwegian golfer, Viktor Hovland and Europe’s English golfer, Tyrrell Hatton, (L-R front row) Europe’s Swedish golfer, Ludvig Aberg, Europe’s Danish golfer, Nicolai Hojgaard, Europe’s English captain, Luke Donald, Europe’s Scottish golfer, Robert MacIntyre and Europe’s Austrian golfer, Sepp Straka pose with the trophy during the European team official team portraits taken ahead of the 44th Ryder Cup at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome on September 26, 2023.
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Rasmus and Nicolai were close to becoming the first pair of brothers to play together in a Ryder Cup since Francesco and Edoardo Molinari in 2010. Nicolai finished 18th in the European rankings to make the team, but ultimately wasn’t selected by Donald.
Nicolai was close to winning the British Masters a week ago (finishing tied for second) but then missed the cut at the Omega European Masters, which likely dashed his hopes of making the team. He had previously had an up-and-down season on the PGA Tour, with three top-10 finishes in 15 tournaments played (10 cuts made).
His Ryder Cup debut in 2023 wasn’t very happy, as he earned only half a point in three matches, with two draws and one loss.
Rasmus, meanwhile, didn’t have a stellar season on the PGA Tour either, with only one top-10 finish in 18 tournaments. However, he completed the European team eligibility period in style, with a second-place finish at the Danish Golf Championship and a tie for 13th at the British Masters, giving him the points he needed to qualify directly.
With his ticket in his pocket, Rasmus finished tied for second at the Omega European Masters, leaving no room for doubt.
However, he didn’t hide the tremendous significance it would have had for him to play with his brother in the Ryder Cup.
“It’s probably the biggest goal we have together,” Rasmus said after securing his spot at the British Masters, according to the transcripts of his post-event interview. “Yeah, I think if it would happen this year, it would be amazing. But I’m sure we’ll both fight to be able to do it another time if it didn’t happen.”
That’s something to look forward to at Adare Manor in Ireland in 2027.
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