Luke Donald has selected Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Højgaard, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Sepp Straka as his six Captain’s Picks to complete his 12-man European Team for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy.
They join Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland, Robert MacIntyre, Rory McIlroy, and Jon Rahm, all of whom qualified automatically for the contest against the United States, which takes place at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, Rome, from September 29 – October 1.
Sweden’s Aberg, Denmark’s Højgaard and Austria’s Straka will each be making their first appearance for Europe in the Ryder Cup, while Ireland’s Lowry will be playing in his first on European soil having been part of the team at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin two years ago.
It will be Englishman Fleetwood’s third consecutive Ryder Cup, following his memorable debut in 2018 when he won four points out of five in Paris, while his compatriot Rose returns to the European Team for the first time since that contest at Le Golf National five years ago. Rose will make his sixth Ryder Cup appearance overall, having previously featured in 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
European Captain Donald said: “I am delighted to announce Ludvig, Tommy, Nicolai, Shane, Justin and Sepp as part of Team Europe for the Ryder Cup, joining the six players who qualified automatically.
“We have great depth of talent in Europe, and that is perfectly illustrated with the team we now have confirmed for Rome, which is a strong blend of players with previous Ryder Cup experience combined with exciting and talented rookies.
“I’m really pleased to have this team now in place, and we are all looking forward to going to Rome later this month and trying to win back the Ryder Cup.”
EUROPEAN TEAM FOR THE 2023 RYDER CUP
Ludvig Aberg (Sweden). Age 23. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 0 (Rookie)
Matt Fitzpatrick (England). Age 29. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2016, 2021)
Tommy Fleetwood (England) Age 32. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2018, 2021)
Tyrrell Hatton (England). Age 31. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2018, 2021)
Nicolai Højgaard (Denmark). Age 22. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 0 (Rookie)
Viktor Hovland (Norway). Age 25. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 1 (2021)
Shane Lowry (Ireland). Age 36. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 1 (2021)
Robert MacIntyre (Scotland). Age 27. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 0 (Rookie)
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland). Age 34. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 6 (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021)
Jon Rahm (Spain). Age 28. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 2 (2018, 2021)
Justin Rose (England) Age 43. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 5 (2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018)
Sepp Straka (Austria). Age 30. Previous Ryder Cup appearances: 0 (Rookie)