6 big names who missed out on a European Ryder Cup pick

Luke Donald has confirmed the players who will wear blue and gold for him at the Ryder Cup in Rome this month.

The Englishman had the conspicuous task of naming his six captain’s picks this afternoon and has left out some big names.

Competition has been rife on the DP World Tour since its return, and Ludvig Aberg’s win last weekend cemented his place on Team Europe.

The biggest question mark fell over Shane Lowry’s head, as the Irishman has battled to find form this season.

Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, and Nicolai Hojgaard were also selected.

With so many names in contention, here are six of the biggest names to be snubbed…

6 players who missed out on the Ryder Cup

• Luke Donald names six Captain’s Picks

Adrian Meronk

The Polish DP World Tour winner can feel the most disappointed to miss out on a wildcard.

He has two wins on the Wentworth-based circuit this season, and none looked more valuable than a one-shot triumph at Marco Simone in May.

The 30-year-old beat several Ryder Cup hopefuls at this year’s venue and has enjoyed a strong season on both sides of the Atlantic.

Reports suggested Meronk would be left at home, and LIV Golf’s Richard Bland made his feelings clear on the omission this morning.

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Rasmus Hojgaard

There wasn’t enough space for the Hojgaard twins to form a Ryder Cup pairing, as Donald left Rasmus out of his plans.

The Dane’s brother Nicolai grabbed a spot after an inspired run of form in recent months.

Rasmus has been far less consistent than his 22-year-old counterpart but can boast of lifting a title this season.

He won on home soil at Made in HimmerLand in July, but Donald feels he has not done enough since then to warrant selection.

Yannik Paul

The decision to skip an event on the DP World Tour last month might not have done Yannik Paul’s chances any favours.

Paul has been a model of consistency this season, with a missed cut at the Open Championship being his first and last since February.

The German came closest to stealing the final automatic qualifying spot on the European points list, which went the way of Robert MacIntyre.

Six top-ten finishes on the DP World Tour this year were not enough for Donald to hand Paul a Ryder Cup debut in Rome.

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Victor Perez

The Frenchman wasn’t far behind on the Ryder Cup standings as he ended proceedings in fifth on the European points list.

Perez looked in great shape to be included in this year’s biennial battle after winning the lucrative Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January.

The 31-year-old followed that result with a T9 at Marco Simone, but he has since missed the cut on three of six DP World Tour starts.

With strong finishes in the PGA Championship and at Hoylake, Perez showed he can thrive on the big stage, but Donald was not fully convinced.

Alex Noren

While many did not believe the experienced Swede would be involved, Luke Donald would have certainly considered him.

Playing a very limited schedule will have paid pay to his chances, but Noren did show signs he can still perform.

A T23 finish at the Open helps, while Noren has experience of being part of a winning Ryder Cup team.

The 41-year-old competed at Le Golf National in 2018 and beat Bryson DeChambeau in their Sunday singles bout.

Matt Wallace

The Englishman’s longstanding goal of competing in the Ryder Cup goes on, as Matt Wallace faces more time on the European sideline.

A return to form has proved too little too late for the 33-year-old who has only missed one cut in his last seven starts.

That run included a second place finish on the DP World Tour two weeks ago, but it was a first top-ten finish since winning on the PGA Tour in March.

Wallace missed out in agonising fashion in 2018, as he was snubbed after three DP World Tour wins, and Donald chose the same outcome.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.