European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is bringing back virtually the same team to Bethpage Black – right down to the same surnames.
Donald finalized his 12-man roster Monday with no surprises and almost no new faces. Eleven of the 12 players who dominated in Rome two years ago will return, with the captain simply swapping one Hojgaard (Nicolai) for another (his twin, Rasmus).
Even Rasmus isn’t a stranger to Ryder Cup week – he was part of Donald’s wider, non-playing staff in 2023 before securing one of the six automatic qualifying spots this time around.
Unlike the American selections that sparked months of debate, Donald’s choices were straightforward. He picked players ranked 7-11 on the points standings: Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick. His final selection jumped down to No. 24, but for good reason – two-time major winner Jon Rahm.
“Jon really sets the standard for us,” Donald said. “He understands the history of the Ryder Cup, what it represents. Obviously, he wants to follow in the footsteps of some amazing Spanish players that led the way.”
Rahm himself is eager for the challenge: “It’s going to be special. Cannot wait to be at Bethpage, New Yorkers are going to be incredible fans. It’s going to be difficult for us but looking forward to hopefully having a better showing than the last time we did it in the U.S.”
That’s a significant challenge. The home team has won eight of the last nine Ryder Cups, including five straight.
Both Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton remain eligible while appealing fines from the DP World Tour for playing in conflicting LIV events.
Donald’s picks have all performed well recently. Straka won twice on the PGA Tour this season, while Åberg and Hovland each claimed victories. Lowry and Fitzpatrick combined for nine top-10s, and Rahm defended his LIV individual championship.
Englishman Matt Wallace narrowly missed the team after coming close at the European Masters. It’s not clear if a victory there would have changed Donald’s plans, but the 35-year-old was clearly devastated to miss out for the second time since 2018.
Rasmus Hojgaard, the lone newcomer, built most of his Ryder Cup points late last year with a strong finish on the DP World Tour. He locked in his automatic spot with a clutch performance at the British Masters two weeks ago, then followed up with a tie for second in Switzerland.
Donald’s six captain’s picks – who went a combined 10-8-4 in Rome – join a veteran group that includes Hojgaard, Hatton, Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose.
This marks just the fourth time Europeans have fielded a team with only one rookie, and the first since 2012.
“Obviously a lot of continuity from Rome,” Donald noted. “That’s unusual to have so many people coming back, but it just shows how good these players are. But even though we have a lot of continuity, this is a different animal to play away in America. We understand how difficult that is.”
Both teams will tune up next week at separate events. Nearly all 11 U.S. players are expected at the PGA Tour’s Procore Championship in Napa, while all Europeans except Straka are currently committed to the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour’s flagship event.
The Ryder Cup runs Sept. 26-28 in Farmingdale, New York.
