"Lowry and Rahm among Donald's six wildcard selections for Europe's Ryder Cup team"

Europe will compete to retain the Ryder Cup later this month with 11 of the same 12 players who defeated the United States in Rome two years ago, as Luke Donald predictably favored experience in his final selections. The team captain added Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Victor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Jon Rahm, and Matt Fitzpatrick to complete the lineup for Bethpage. Donald confirmed his choices on Monday, shortly after the US captain Keegan Bradley finalized his roster.

Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, and Rasmus Højgaard had already secured their places through qualification. Notably, Højgaard is the only new face from the previous tournament, replacing his twin brother, Nicolai, who played for Europe in Rome.

Among those who narrowly missed selection was Matt Wallace, who was visibly emotional after the DP World Tour event in Switzerland upon realizing his hopes of playing in the Ryder Cup had ended again. Marco Penge, Thomas Detry, Harry Hall, and Aaron Rai were also considered during the qualification process, but Donald ultimately prioritized continuity. Europe has not secured a Ryder Cup victory on American soil since 2012.