Luke Donald: ‘I won’t give up on Ryder Cup’

• Luke Donald still harbours Ryder Cup hopes
• The Englishman currently sits No.31 in Points List
• “It’s always tough to choose rookies as picks,” he said

Four-time Ryder Cup winner Luke Donald has not given up hope of playing in the 2016 match at Hazeltine – but says he must start converting some better performances into wins.

The 38-year-old, who narrowly missed out on qualification for the 2014 Ryder Cup and was overlooked by Paul McGinley as a captain’s pick, is currently 31st in the World Points List and hasn’t tasted individual success since the 2012 BMW PGA Championship.

And despite there only being three months to go until Europe and the USA do battle, Luke Donald is still hopeful of being an important part of the side.

“It’s certainly still an aim of mine but if I want to be part of the team I’m going to have to start playing better and producing some results with a win or two,” said Luke Donald ahead of the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, where he tasted victory in 2011. “I’ve not given up hope but I certainly need to start churning out some better results.”

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And with the make-up of the current European side set to be an inexperienced one, Donald believes that may work in his favour if he fails to qualify automatically and it comes down to captain Darren Clarke’s three wildcard picks.

“I’m sure Darren will want to have as many experienced players on the team as possible and I’m sure he’d love them to qualify automatically,” added Luke Donald, who has an impressive 10-4-1 Ryder Cup record. “It’s always a tough decision to choose rookies as picks – especially if you have quite a few in the team already – so maybe that helps me but I’m going to need to start playing better and obviously I’d rather earn my way onto the team rather than having to rely on a pick.

“I’ve never felt so much pressure on the first tee than at Ryder Cups. It’s just the moment – the enormity of the event. Even my fourth one at Medinah was just as much as it was at Detroit in 2004. It’s just the fact that you’re thrown into this atmosphere and situation where you’re not just performing for yourself but your teammates as well and that’s an added pressure in itself.

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Luke Donald :: Would you pick him?

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