Team Europe Ryder Cup Picks: Who Made It And Who Missed Out?

HELLO ALL

Welcome to Golf Monthly's live coverage of Luke Donald's captain picks for the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup.

The Team Europe captain will reveal his six picks to complete the 12-man squad, beginning at 2pm EDT.

What we know so far is that Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton are in the team as automatic qualifiers, but who will join them? You'll find out here as it happens.

LARGELY SETTLED SIDE FOR TEAM EUROPE?

The name of the game could be continuity for Team Europe this time around.

Not only is Donald captaining the side for the second successive edition, but it would be a surprise if the team isn’t largely the same as the one that won 16.5-11.5 at Marco Simone two years ago.

There is at least one rookie, we know that much, after Rasmus Hojgaard qualified automatically, but will there be any more new faces?

We’ll have confirmation soon enough, but with the likes of Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm, all of whom played pivotal roles in 2023, expected to be in the team, it could be Donald’s wildcards largely pick themselves.

THE CAPTAIN'S ARRIVED

Luke Donald has arrived at the Sky Sports studios in London, looking relaxed ahead of his picks. It won't be long now until he reveals the first...

HE'S HERE!

Luke Donald is in the studio and has begun by describing his Ryder Cup captaincy as a privilege, before briefly talking about the automatic qualifiers.

FIRST PICK - SHANE LOWRY

'INFECTIOUS ENERGY'

No surprises as Lowry is the first to be selected, with Donald complimenting his "infectious energy."

Lowry, on a videolink, says he's "very excited for the next few weeks."

He was close to qualifying automatically, but missed out when Rasmus Hojgaard did enough at the Betfred British Masters.

Lowry's Ryder Cup record is 2-3-1 and this will be his third match.

PICK TWO - JON RAHM

'I DIDN'T THINK I WAS GOING TO BE AS EMOTIONAL AS I FEEL RIGHT NOW'

Rahm was a no-brainer after another excellent season with LIV Golf, while this will be his fourth Ryder Cup. Rahm admits to feeling "emotional" about the pick, though.

One of Europe's true superstars, his Ryder Cup record is 6-3-3.

PICK THREE - SEPP STRAKA

SECOND TIME FOR SEPP

Straka will make his second Ryder Cup appearance after playing in 2023.

Donald points out that aside from McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, no one has won more on the PGA Tour this season.

His Ryder Cup record reads 1-2-0.

PICK FOUR - VIKTOR HOVLAND

'HE WAS A LION FOR US IN ROME'

Hovland's all smiles as he appears on video, saying: 'It's unbelievable. I'm super-excited to get going."

Donald says: "Viktor is one of my favorite humans. I'm always impressed with how dedicated he is to his craft. He was a lion for us in Rome."

His Ryder Cup record is 3-4-3.

PICK FIVE - LUDVIG ABERG

'HE'S ONE OF THE VERY BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD

Another unsurprising choice for Donald, with Aberg one of the world's top players and set for his second Ryder Cup appearance.

At Marco Simone, he was just three months into his pro career and emerged with a 2-2-0 record.

Donald says he's: "One of the very best players in the world."

PICK SIX - MATT FITZPATRICK

THE PERFECT BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Fitzpatrick will make his fourth Ryder Cup appearance. He turned 31 today, too, making it a brilliant birthday present to be named Donald's final wildcard.

He hasn't always performed at the Ryder Cup, with a 1-7-0 record, but his form's been good of late.

Alluding to that, Fitzpatrick says: "There's a lot of belief after the last few weeks."

TEAM EUROPE - CONFIRMED TEAM FOR BETHPAGE BLACK

DONALD REACTION

Donald describes the Bethpage Black match as a "different animal, a different challenge" to Marco Simone and that he's "very well aware" Europe has lost three of the last four matches on US soil.

BIG NAMES TO MISS OUT

Of course, while there is jubilation for the six wildcard picks, for some players, there is the heartbreak of missing out.

Among the big names not heading to Bethpage Black are Nicolai Hojgaard, who played in 2023, and Matt Wallace, who was emotional after the Omega European Masters, saying: "I'll never give up on the Ryder Cup."

Other notable names to miss out include Harry Hall, Marco Penge and Thomas Detry.

Donald says: "I have a lot of empathy towards those guys."

Here's a reminder of Wallace's emotional interview after the Omega European Masters...

DONALD ON AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER MCILROY

Earlier, Donald mentioned that he's aware of Europe's poor recent record in the Ryder Cup, and he says: "I've been given the task to figure that puzzle out."

One one of his key players for that task, automatic qualifier Rory McIlroy, he says: "He understands the history of the game. We've seen the raw emotion. When he sets his mind to something he really wants to achieve, you know he's going to be all in."

ONE CHANGE FROM TWO YEARS AGO

With all 12 names confirmed, weirdly, every surname on the team is identical to the Marco Simone match, despite a change in personnel.

In total, 11 of the 12 who played in Italy will be at Bethpage Black, with the one change being the addition of Rasmus Hojgaard at the expense of brother Nicolai.

SMILES ALL ROUND

Is Team Europe looking to get some early mind games in on its opponents? During Keegan Bradley's wildcard picks last week, there were a few mentions of how serious some of the players looked when interviewed following their selection.

However, the official Team Europe X account has been quick to point out the smiling faces of Donald's captain's picks...

DONALD ON STRENGTH OF TEAM USA

The Team Europe line-up undoubtedly looks strong, but Donald is not losing sight of the formidable opponents his 12 will face.

He points out the whole team is in the top 20 or 25 in the world before adding: "On paper, they are all very stacked. I know we're up against it. I know I need to be prepared as I can be."

DONALD READY TO OVERCOME A PARTISAN HOME CROWD

One of the biggest hurdles for Team Europe will be the boistrous home crowd, but Donald doesn't seem fazed. He says: "You know what to expect so you can prepare for it and that's really key for us. Who doesn't want to play in New York. New Yorkers respect hard work, they respect grit and I can assure you my team will show plenty of that."

ON PLAYERS WHO MISSED OUT

Donald has some words of consolation for players who missed out, including Matt Wallace, saying: "An extremely difficult call to make. It just shows what it means to Europeans. It's a difficult part of the job to call those people who've played their heart out.

"It could have gone a different way but I'm absolutely thrilled with the team that we have."

DONALD'S WILDCARD REACTION COMPLETE

That wraps up Donald's chat on the Sky Sports sofa following his picks.

Overall, there weren't really any surprises, with Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, all of whom played under Donald two years ago, making the team.

The notable story is that, adding in the automatic qualifiers, there is only one change from Marco Simone, with Rasmus Hojgaard replacing brother Nicolai.

RYDER CUP RECORDS OF THE CAPTAIN'S PICKS

Shane Lowry - 2 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie

Jon Rahm - 6 wins, 3 losses, 3 ties

Sepp Straka - 1 win, 2 losses, 0 ties

Viktor Hovland - 3 wins, 4 losses, 3 ties

Ludvig Aberg - 2 wins, 2 losses, 0 ties

Matt Fitzpatrick - 1 win, 7 losses, 0 ties

WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?

One of the seismic moments of the 2023 Ryder Cup was Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg's 9&7 demolition of Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in the Saturday morning foursomes, and the pair were clearly happy to recall that moment during Donald's wildcard picks...