The 2023 Ryder Cup is a year away, with Italy's Marco Simone Golf Club hosting the action where Europe will look to regain the trophy following their record defeat last time out.
The emergence of LIV Golf has cast a shadow over the event in regard to participants, meaning there could be a high number of potential rookies on both teams next year.
Rory McIlroy admitted that Team Europe needs a rebuild and seems excited about a younger team in Rome. "We have got a core group of guys but let’s build on that again, and instead of filling those three or four spots with older veterans, let’s blood some rookies and let’s get them in and build towards the future. I think that’s important," he said.
So with that in mind, here are ten potential rookies who could well make their debut in next year’s European Ryder Cup side:
10 potential European Ryder Cup rookies:
Sepp Straka
Straka could become just the second player from his country to play in the Ryder Cup, after Bernd Wiesberger in 2021. He became the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour with a one-shot victory at the 2022 Honda Classic, fending off Shane Lowry in the process. Straka currently sits at 36th place in the OWGR, his highest position to date.
Seamus Power
Power already has one PGA Tour title to his name, winning the 2021 Barbasol Championship in a playoff over JT Poston, and will be aiming to join fellow countrymen Rory Mcilroy and Shane Lowry at Rome next year. The 35-year-old made his first three Major cuts before missing the weekend at the Open in St Andrews.
Adrian Meronk
Meronk has already made history by becoming the first Polish golfer to win on the DP World Tour, triumphing at the Irish Open in July. It was a third-place finish at the Dutch Open in May that really got the golf world talking however, as it meant he became the first Pole to qualify for the Open Championship. His OWGR continues to climb, with his current position of 57th the highest of his career so far.
Robert MacIntyre
The Scotsman is slowly climbing back to his previous highest ranking of 42nd in the OWGR and with a tied-eighth finish at the French Open following on from an excellent playoff victory over US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick in the Italian Open, he should be primed to make his debut in Rome next year. His Major record reads ten events played; ten cuts made, an exceptional stat. He described making the Ryder Cup team as his "only goal", and you'd be hard-pressed to back against him.
The Hojgaard twins
Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard, 21, are two of the brightest young prospects in European Golf. They made history in 2021 by becoming the first brothers to win DP World Tour events in back-to-back weeks. Ian Poulter even stated at the beginning of the year that “they’ll be a backbone of the Ryder Cup team for a long time.” And with four wins between them on the Tour, a Ryder Cup debut in Rome looks more likely than not.
Adri Arnaus
Arnaus can become the 13th player from Spain to play in the Ryder Cup if he qualifies next year and a win at the 2022 Catalunya Championship shows he has the ability to win on the DP World Tour. His ranking has slipped from a career high of 49th to 71st, but with a first, second and a third in the 2022 season, Arnaus can begin to aim for Rome.
Guido Migliozzi
A world ranking of 108 seems low considering he has won three times on the DP World Tour – including the French Open just last week – while collecting a further three runner-up spots. Migliozzi finished 4th in what was an excellent Major debut at the 2021 US Open and he will surely be aiming to become just the fourth Italian in history to represent Europe in the competition after Costantino Rocca and the Molinari brothers.
Sam Horsfield
With three wins to his name already on the DP World Tour, Horsfield will be looking to break through and qualify for the Ryder Cup next year. The 25-year-old knows what it’s like to play on a winning European team, as he was part of the 2016 Palmer Cup side, winning 1 and a half points during the contest and this could stand him in good stead ahead of Rome. The fact that he plys his trade with LIV Golf could mean he will miss out, though, pending February's court case.
Laurie Canter
Canter might well be in the hunt for a Ryder Cup debut next year, but only if LIV players are allowed to compete. His highest finish on the DP World Tour is second, achieved at the BMW PGA Championship in 2021, alongside the Portugal Masters and Italian Open. There is no doubt he has the attributes to win on tour, having lost his card three times, but a move to the LIV Series might end his chances of representing Europe on the biggest stage of all.
Other potential rookies: Matt Wallace, Victor Perez, Thomas Detry, Jordan Smith, Pablo Larrazabal, Jordan Smith, Marcus Helligkilde
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