Luke Donald puts stop to talk about LIV golfers at Ryder Cup

The European Ryder Cup captain has assured that there has been no change to his selection process, despite golf’s shock partnership agreement.

Preparations for the biennial tournament in September are going ahead as normal from a European perspective, as Donald insisted ‘nothing has changed’.

Details of the merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Public Investment Fund (PIF) are still up in the air, but players ineligible to represent Donald remain that way.

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With 100 days to go until the match in Rome, the Englishman admitted at the BMW International Open that he had to consider the question on everyone’s mind.

He said: “Obviously when that announcement was made, my first question was, ‘does this affect anything I am doing and my selection process and my ability to select players?’.”

But the former world number one wasted no time in providing an answer. Donald added: “To be honest, nothing has changed.

“We are still bound by the rules and regulations that the arbitration granted the DP World Tour a few months ago.

🚨 100 DAYS TO GO 🚨

Who's excited for the 2023 Ryder Cup? pic.twitter.com/3lCsMhJnQl

— Ryder Cup (@rydercup) June 21, 2023

“To be eligible (for the Ryder Cup), you still have to be born in Europe and be a DP World Tour member. So, nothing has changed.”

That means the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, and Henrik Stenson won’t suddenly be available for selection.

The LIV golfers resigned their DP World Tour membership after suspensions and fines were handed to 26 players for each breach of the Conflicting Tournament Regulation.

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Marco Simone hopefuls have just over two months left to punch their ticket on the 12-man team for the Ryder Cup, and Donald admitted he was pleased with how those players are trending.

“It’s great to see a lot of the guys who have Ryder Cup experience and guys you expect to be playing well are playing well.”

“They seem to be up there week in, week out. But obviously, it takes 12 and there are still some spots open for people who want to make their own mark as rookies, and I want everyone to keep playing as hard as they can for the next two months.”

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.