Europe captain Luke Donald filled his 12-man roster for this month’s Ryder Cup with players who helped the team win back the trophy in Rome two years ago.
Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick were announced as Donald’s picks for showpiece event against the United States at Bethpage from September 26.
Donald will be taking a familiar line-up to New York, returning 11 of the 12 players who won the Ryder Cup for the European team in 2023. Indeed, the only change two years on sees Rasmus Hojgaard play instead of his twin brother, Nicolai.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy, newly-crowned FedEx Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Bob MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton and Hoijgaard all had secured automatic qualification.
England's Matt Wallace, who missed out on a captain's pick in 2018 despite three victories that season, suffered more heartbreak.
The 35-year-old finished 12th in the European team rankings, while Rahm's position on the LIV Golf tour meant he did not accrue enough points, finishing 24th.
However, such is Rahm's stature as a big occasion player – he had two top-10s in this year's majors and only Hatton and Hovland scored more points than him in Rome – and Donald's desire to include him that a spot had to be made available and that proved costly for Wallace.
Hatton is also a LIV golfer but in the last year has won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Dubai Desert Classic, finished runner up at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and a tied for fourth at the US Open.
Being available for Ryder Cup selection was a major factor in the pair's appeal against heavy fines imposed by the DP World Tour for playing on the LIV circuit without obtaining an official release as tour members.
That hearing has been pushed back until after the Ryder Cup, which spared Donald any difficult decisions.
“Jon really sets the standard for us. He is usually the first person up and the last person in the team room,” said Donald.
“It's amazing, he understands the history of the Ryder Cup. He takes that history to heart and plays like that.”
Rahm's place was not really in doubt but the Spaniard said: “It's a different feeling. I didn't think I'd be as emotional as I am right now. It's going to be special.”
Hovland has had his struggles this season but he has retained the support of Donald, who said of the Norwegian: “Viktor is one of my favourite humans and I'm always impressed how dedicated he is to his craft and how much he wants to succeed. He was a lion for us in Rome and he will be at Bethpage.”
Hovland teamed up with Aberg, a rookie in Rome just three months after turning professional, to inflict a record 9 and 7 defeat on world number one Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka and the pair look set to be reunited on the course again.
