Skip to main content

Ryder Cup: Who should Captain Luke Donald pick to represent Team Europe?

Luke Donald will submit his captain’s picks on Monday Sept. 4, thus finalizing the 12 players that will represent Europe in the Ryder Cup.

Luke Donald, Ryder Cup, DP World Tour
Luke Donald, Ryder Cup, DP World Tour
Englishman Luke Donald will captain the European side at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.

Following this weekend’s Omega European Masters in Switzerland, European Captain Luke Donald will finalize his roster for the 2023 Ryder Cup.

Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, and Tyrell Hatton have already qualified for the European side.

The fifth automatic spot has come down to Scotsman Robert MacIntyre or German Yannik Paul, both of whom are in the field in Switzerland.

An Englishman will likely occupy the sixth spot, as it looks like it will be either Tommy Fleetwood or Matthew Fitzpatrick.

From there, like the U.S. Ryder Cup team, Donald will have six picks to round out his team of 12. He will submit his selections on Monday, Sept. 4.

Team Europe, Ryder Cup
Team Europe celebrates after winning the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

So, who should Donald select with his six captain’s picks?

If MacIntyre and Fleetwood take up the final two automatic spots, I would still select Fitzpatrick and Paul. Both players have had terrific seasons on the PGA and DP World Tours.

As for the other four spots, I would take Englishman Justin Rose, Irishman Shane Lowry, Adrian Meronk of Poland, and Sepp Straka of Austria.

That would leave out Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, Victor Perez of France, and Rasmus Højgaard of Denmark, as these three players will have to look ahead to 2025, when Bethpage Black will host the biennial competition.

Who do you think should make the European team? Let us know in the comments below.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.

More in Golf

Golf
Rory McIlroy in U.S. Open contention after first roundRory McIlroy in U.S. Open contention after first round
Golf

Rory McIlroy is well in contention after the first round of the U.S. Open

By RJ Ochoa
Golf
Deloitte is helping to make the rules of golf more accessible and fan-friendlyDeloitte is helping to make the rules of golf more accessible and fan-friendly
Golf

The rules of golf are well on display at the U.S. Open

By RJ Ochoa
Golf
Jordan Spieth is ready for the U.S. OpenJordan Spieth is ready for the U.S. Open
Golf

Jordan Spieth is as ready as he can be for the U.S. Open

By RJ Ochoa
Golf
Jason Day helps stories to visualize successJason Day helps stories to visualize success
Golf

Jason Day has a unique approach to “stories” during his rounds

By RJ Ochoa
Golf
T-Mobile made the U.S. Women’s Open even betterT-Mobile made the U.S. Women’s Open even better
Golf

The U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera was a huge success

By RJ Ochoa
Golf
Brian Urlacher views the ACC as celebrity golf’s majorBrian Urlacher views the ACC as celebrity golf’s major
Golf

The American Century Championship is basically a major for celebrity golfers

By RJ Ochoa

Comments
Loading comments
Getting the conversation ready...