Luke Donald unveiled his six Ryder Cup captain’s picks on Monday, and there were no big surprises among the selections.
Donald’s full squad is now locked in, and it looks like a team with plenty of depth and experience throughout the line-up.
Keegan Bradley made his six picks last Wednesday, but his decisions sparked far more debate than Donald’s did.
Several Americans are struggling for form heading into the event, and some -like Collin Morikawa – do not seem well suited to Bethpage Black’s demands.
The European side looks much more settled by comparison, with fewer question marks over both form and fit for the course.
Even so, that has not stopped criticism from coming Donald’s way in certain circles.
Criticism of Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup picks from former LIV Golf
Donald went with the six players everyone expected.
Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland were all obvious choices.
Beyond them, Matt Fitzpatrick is also a solid pick, considering his experience and recent form.
But DP World Tour veteran Pablo Larrazabal criticised both Donald and the European selection process as a whole.
The Spaniard posted on his official X account after the picks were announced to share his frustration. He clearly was not pleased with how things unfolded.
“Again the European Ryder Cup team will go with what captain Luke thinks is the best team. 0 players that play European Tour schedule so what’s the point? Marco Penge deserved a pick and Wallace deserved a pick but only 12 men play. Good luck in NJ…”
Larrazabal has a valid point, though there are clear flaws in his argument as well.
Pablo Larrazabal’s Ryder Cup comments miss the mark
Larrazabal, who made a single appearance in a LIV event back in 2022, might have had a point on paper. But when you look at the squad Donald’s taking to Bethpage, it is tough to argue with the selections.
There is always talk about whether captains should have fewer picks to open up more spots for players based on rankings alone. But if that had been the case this time, Europe would have gone in weaker.
Who exactly would Marco Penge and Matt Wallace have replaced? Fitzpatrick is the only obvious name you could debate, but beyond that, it gets tricky.
Larrazabal does not appear to have considered how the team fits together. And with this Ryder Cup being held in America, loading up on DP World Tour players does not seem like the right approach anyway.
If it were being played in Europe this year, maybe his argument would carry more weight.
The reality is that most fans are backing Donald’s six picks and feel good about how Europe stacks up against the US later this month.
In truth, Larrazabal’s criticism feels more like frustration than anything grounded in what is best for the team.
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