ROBERT MACINTYRE has missed out on a place in a key warm-up even for the Ryder Cup.
The Scots golf ace enjoyed the best year of his career so far in 2024, winning his first PGA Tour event at the Canadian Open in June and then tasting victory on home soil with a dramatic Scottish Open victory a month later.
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Robert MacIntyre will play no part in the Team Cup taking place next monthCredit: Getty
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The event is an important part of Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup preparationsCredit: Sunday Times
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MacIntyre helped Team Europe beat Team USA to Ryder Cup in Italy in 2023Credit: Getty
MacIntyre, 28, built on a 2023 campaign in which he qualified for the Ryder Cup, claimed a PGA Tour card and finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy by just one shot at his home open.
His 2024 season saw him amass a staggering amount of prize money, reaching a career-high ranking of 15th.
The Oban lefty has never hid his passion for the Ryder Cup and made his mark on his debut at Marco Simone in 2023, earning 2.5 points from his three matches to help Team Europe to victory.
However, he will play no part in the Team Cup next month, which is used as tune-up event for European golfers in preparation for the Ryder Cup.
Next year’s Ryder Cup will take place at New York venue Bethpage Black in the USA, with Luke Donald once again captaining the Euro side.
The Team Cup was only established in 2023 (as the Hero Cup) and is a spiritual successor to the Seve Trophy which was held between 2000 and 2013.
Donald played a crucial role in bringing the event to life as he was keen to give European players more opportunities to compete in match play during the season (the USA, for example, compete in the President’s Cup every other year for match play experience).
It also offers Donald the chance to have a closer look at potential rookies in particular.
10 players are chosen by Donald to represent Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland, after consultation with captains Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari.
The European Tour selected veterans Rose and Molinari as captains to keep an eye on Donald’s Ryder Cup hopefuls.
Inside Robert MacIntyre’s wild Scottish Open celebrations
MacIntyre played in the event in 2023 and performed well, winning three of the four matches he played in (including his singles match).
But he’ll play no part in this year’s edition, which takes place between January 10 and 12 at the Abu Dhabi Golf Resort in the UAE.
Representing Great Britain & Ireland this time round are Rose, Laurie Canter, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin, Aaron Rai, Jordan Smith, Matt Wallace and Paul Waring.
MacIntyre is currently one place above Englishman Hatton in the world rankings, and is the only LIV golfer to be selected for the Team Cup.
McIlroy didn’t play in the first edition of the event and he also hasn’t been picked this time round.
But his omission is on account of the fact Donald knows what he has in the Northern Irishman, who is a Ryder Cup stalwart and just claimed his SIXTH DP World Tour Race to Dubai crown this past week.
Fellow superstar Europeans Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg are also missing from the list of selections.
McIlroy tends to begin his season playing in the DP World Tour’s Middle East swing but this year he could join Hovland and Aberg in action across the water.
That’s because the PGA Tour kicks off with the Sentry Tournament of Champions on January 2, which is one the tour’s elevated events with a $20m purse.
The Team Cup directly conflicts with the Sony Open in Hawaii, which takes place the week after the Sentry.
Other big hitters not included are Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka, all of whom played in Rome in 2023. The latter two participated in that year’s Team Cup.
Only nine of the 10 selections have been made so far, with the final picks for each side confirmed after the Nedbank Golf Challenge in December.
So in theory, MacIntyre could still be called up – but that appears unlikely.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
The Scot posted on Instagram during the DP World Tour Championship that he was looking forward to his “last round of the season”.
MacIntyre’s triumph at the Canadian Open secured his place on the PGA Tour for next season and it’s believed his early 2025 schedule will focus on preparing for events stateside, therefore he may well have opted out of the Team Cup altogether.
2025 Team Cup squads
Continental Europe
Francesco Molinari (C)
Nicolai Hojgaard
Rasmus Hojgaard
Matteo Manessero
Rasmus Neergard-Petersen
Niklas Norgaard
Thorbjorn Olesen
Matthieu Pavon
Antoine Rozner
TBC
GB & I
Justin Rose (C)
Laurie Canter
Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton
Tom McKibbin
Aaron Rai
Jordan Smith
Matt Wallace
Paul Waring
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