Golf

Europe's Ryder Cup team: A dangerous mix of youth and experience

Rory McIlroy hits from the first fairway during the final round of the Tour Championship (Mike Stewart/AP)
Rory McIlroy hits from the first fairway during the final round of the Tour Championship (Mike Stewart/AP)
By Liam Grimley and Phil Casey, PA Golf Correspondent

TEAM Europe's captain, Luke Donald, has announced the six wildcards that he will take with him to this year's Ryder Cup in Rome.

The team has a healthy mix of young talent and experienced heads who have faced the Americans before on the big stage.

Donald's six captain's picks are as follows:

Tommy Fleetwood share a hug with Tyrrell Hatton on the 18th green after a practice round ahead of The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Picture by PA
Tommy Fleetwood share a hug with Tyrrell Hatton on the 18th green after a practice round ahead of The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Picture by PA

Tommy Fleetwood

This is Fleetwood's third Ryder Cup appearance, and he will look to kick on from his stellar PGA Tour season, where he recorded nine top-10s and tied for sixth in the FedEx Cup.

The world number 15 in the world will want to regain the Ryder Cup he helped secure in 2018, when he won four points out of five in Paris, forming a formidable partnership with Francesco Molinari.

Austria’s Sepp Straka won his second PGA Tour title in the John Deere Classic (Charlie Neibergall/AP)
Austria’s Sepp Straka won his second PGA Tour title in the John Deere Classic (Charlie Neibergall/AP)

Sepp Straka

The second Austrian to play in the Ryder Cup after Bernd Wiesberger, Straka won his second PGA Tour title at the John Deere Classic in July and followed it a fortnight later with a tie for second in the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Also finished seventh in the US PGA Championship and was part of the victorious Continental Europe side in January’s Hero Cup.

England’s Justin Rose at the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry (David Davies/PA)
England’s Justin Rose at the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry (David Davies/PA)

Justin Rose

Rose will be appearing in his sixth Transatlantic clash and will act as an experienced head to show the four rookies how it's done on the big stage.

With a 13-8-2 record and three wins under his belt, Rose could be a key man as Europe seek taste victory again after the painful defeat in 2021 at Whistling Straits.

Shane Lowry hopes to improve his record against the USA in Rome. Picture by AP
Shane Lowry hopes to improve his record against the USA in Rome. Picture by AP

Shane Lowry

This will be Lowry's second crack at the whip in the Ryder Cup, but he comes in after a disappointing season by his high standards, securing only one top-five finish over the 2022/23 campaign, although he did manage three top-20s in the Majors.

The Offaly man won once and lost twice in the 2021 loss to the USA in Wisconsin and will hope to continue his good form on the big stage and improve his record against the Americans.

Nicolai Højgaard

Denmark's Højgaard will also be making his debut for Team Europe at the Marco Simeone course but has previous experience in Rome, having won the Italian Open around the Marco Simeone layout in 2021.

Nicolai – whose twin brother Rasmus was also on the fringes of contention for a wild card –  is currently ranked 78th in the world and has found top form of late, backing up a third in the Czech Masters with a share of fifth in the Omega European Masters in Switzerland at the weekend to catch Donald's eye.

Ludvig Aberg poses with the trophy after winning the Omega European Masters in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on Sunday PICTURE: PA
Ludvig Aberg poses with the trophy after winning the Omega European Masters in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on Sunday PICTURE: PA

Ludvig Aberg

Despite only turning pro in June, Swedish sensation Aberg has done enough to get a captain's pick from Donald, who played alongside the 23-year-old at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit at the start of the summer.

Aberg won the European Masters in Switzerland on Sunday to seal his place, and also finished fourth in both the Czech Masters and the John Deere Classic in six starts since joining the pro ranks.

Read More:

  • Luke Donald ‘blown away' by Ludvig Aberg as Swede handed Ryder Cup wild card
  • Matt Fitzpatrick and Robert McIntyre out to seal automatic Ryder Cup spots at Omega European Masters
  • Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Sam Burns among USA's six Ryder Cup wild cards

Six players had already secured their spots on the team through their performances throughout the year-long qualification process:

Rory McIlroy hits from the first fairway during the final round of the Tour Championship (Mike Stewart/AP)
Rory McIlroy hits from the first fairway during the final round of the Tour Championship (Mike Stewart/AP)

Rory McIlroy

The Holywood ace and world number two has finished in the top-10 in each of his last 10 outings to come into the match in Rome in stellar form.

It’s an eighth-straight Ryder Cup appearance for McIlroy, whose 28 matches are the most of any golfer going to Rome, too.

His record is far from perfect, however, and for the first time he sat out a round at Whistling Straits two years ago, losing three times in four outings but saving some face with a win over Xander Schauffele in the singles.

Expect an especially motivated McIlroy this time around, particularly given the team surrounding him.

“I love being a part of this team,” an emotional McIlroy said after Europe’s defeat in Wisconsin.

“I should have done more for them this week.”

Spain’s Jon Rahm celebrates a birdie on the 18th during day three of The Open at Royal Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA)
Spain’s Jon Rahm celebrates a birdie on the 18th during day three of The Open at Royal Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA)

Jon Rahm

World number three Rahm was one of the few Europeans to shine at Whistling Straits, earning 3.5 points in the record 19-9 defeat.

The Masters champion won four times on the PGA Tour early in the year, and while his form has dipped a little since then, he did share second at The Open in July.

The fiery Spaniard Rahm could be a talisman as Europe seek to gain revenge for two on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Scotland’s Robert Macintyre on the sixth hole during day three of the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry (David Davies/PA)
Scotland’s Robert Macintyre on the sixth hole during day three of the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry (David Davies/PA)

Robert MacIntyre

The left-handed Scot secured the final automatic spot on the European Points list after recording three top-five finishes in his last six outings.

MacIntyre was one shot short of winning his national title – the Genesis Scottish Open – with Rory McIlroy birdieing the last two holes to deny him a famous success.

The Oban-born rookie won the 2022 Italian Open at Marco Simone and will hope to put that course pedigree to good use.

Viktor Hovland smiles before putting on the first green during the first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club (Alex Slitz/ AP)
Viktor Hovland smiles before putting on the first green during the first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club (Alex Slitz/ AP)

Viktor Hovland

Norway's Hovland will hope to add to his impressive 2023 campaign with a positive result in his first Ryder Cup on European soil.

It was a difficult debut for him at Whistling Straits, but Hovland has grown into a more mature and experienced player since then.

He is arguably the hottest player on the planet following back-to-back victories in the play-offs gave him FedEx Cup glory and a cheque for $18m.

All eyes will be on the young Norwegian at Marco Simone.

Tyrrell Hatton at the Genesis Scottish Open (Steve Welsh/PA)
Tyrrell Hatton at the Genesis Scottish Open (Steve Welsh/PA)

Tyrrell Hatton

Hatton has missed only one cut this season and finished inside the top 25 in 13 of his 21 events.

Hatton was one of the only three Europeans with a losing record during the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris, and after a tough time in Wisconsin he will be keen to put his feisty appraoch to good use this time.

His best finish this year came as runner-up in the Players' in Sawgrass in March.

Matt Fitzpatrick made the Ryder Cup squad after a stellar performance at the European Masters in Switzerland
Matt Fitzpatrick made the Ryder Cup squad after a stellar performance at the European Masters in Switzerland

Matt Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick will be looking for his first Ryder Cup victory, coming into this year's edition with a record of 0-5.

He was only 22 years old in his first appearance for Europe in 2016 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

Fitzpatrick has been a much-improved player since then, and even more so since his last appearance in 2021.

He became one of the best drivers on TOUR since that appearance in Wisconsin and won the 2022 US Open.