Luke Donald has named six of Europe's victorious 2023 Ryder Cup team as his captain's picks to complete his line-up for this year's contest in New York.
Europe's six automatic qualifiers were confirmed after the Betfred British Masters on August 24, with Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Ramsus Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton all securing their places in Team Europe's line-up.
Donald looks to lead Europe to just their fifth away victory in Ryder Cup history and a first since the 'Miracle at Medinah' in 2012, with the Englishman prioritising experience when finalising the rest of his roster heading to Bethpage Black - live from September 26-28 on SportNews Golf.
Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Ã…berg, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick were the next five in the Ryder Cup qualification standings and have all been handed picks, two years on from featuring in Europe's 16.5-11.5 success in Rome two years' ago.
Two-time major champion Jon Rahm also returns for Team Europe and makes a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance, leaving Donald with 11 of the same 12-man roster he had in 2023 as he chases back-to-back victories over the United States.
Hojgaard will be the only rookie in Donald's side and replaces twin brother Nicolai Hojgaard in the European set-up, whereas Keegan Bradley has four debutants in Team USA's line-up and only six players from their 2023 Ryder Cup squad.
"I feel amazingly proud of these guys and how well they have played," Donald said. "Obviously a lot of continuity from Rome. It's unusual to have so many people coming back but just shows how good these players are.
"Even though we have a lot of continuity, this is a different animal, to play away in America. We understand how difficult that is. I've looked at it from very different angles to try and get us prepared for this amazing challenge ahead."
Rahm was Europe's top scorer during the last Ryder Cup on American soil and finished unbeaten in Rome, with the Spaniard joining Legion XIII team-mate Hatton and Team USA's Bryson DeChambeau as the three LIV Golf League members in the event.
Straka is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season and returns after an impressive debut in 2023, despite struggling in the majors this season, while Lowry makes a third consecutive Ryder Cup appearance after only dropping out of the automatic places in the final week of the qualification campaign.
Ã…berg formed an unbeaten partnership with Hovland two years ago, including a record-breaking 9&7 win over Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in the Saturday foursomes, with both back involved again and a potential pairing at Donald's disposal.
Fitzpatrick was Donald's final pick after an impressive summer, where he has registered top-eight finishes in five of his last seven starts, meaning eight of the European team have previous experience of playing in an away Ryder Cup.
"It [away Ryder Cup] is a different challenge," Donald added. "Obviously having the chance to do it again doesn't mean we're going to do the same things we did in Rome. That's about implementing new techniques.
"I've really tried to look hard at exactly what this will require. I'm very aware that we have lost three of the last four away Ryder Cups by significant margins, and it's a tough challenge. I've tried everything I can to give our team the best opportunity."
Matt Wallace finished 12th in the qualification standings and missed out on a captain's pick, with the Englishman reduced to tears when discussing his Ryder Cup hopes after a tied-second finish at the Omega European Masters.
"I'll never give up on the Ryder Cup - I just won't," Wallace said on Sunday, having previously missed out on a captain's pick in 2018 - a year he won three times - and describing a European debut as his main goal for the season.
Marco Penge was a two-time winner on the DP World Tour this season and another name discussed as a potential captain's pick, with Harry Hall's run to the PGA Tour's Tour Championship making him another contender for a rookie appearance.
"I feel like I've done as much as I possibly can," Penge said after his tied-eighth finish in Switzerland, having won the Danish Golf Championship two weeks earlier. "It's just great to be in the conversation, to be honest."
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