Ryder Cup: Ludvig Aberg to debut for Team Europe after being named as captain’s pick by Luke Donald | Golf News

Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Hojgaard, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Sepp Straka were named as Luke Donald’s six captain’s picks; Team Europe to host Team USA in Rome from September 29-October 1 live on Sky Sports Golf

Ludvig Aberg will make his Ryder Cup debut after being named as a captain’s pick

Ludvig Aberg will make his Ryder Cup debut for Team Europe, less than four months into his professional career, after being named as one of Luke Donald’s six captain’s picks.

The six automatic qualifiers were confirmed after Sunday’s Omega European Masters, with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Robert MacIntyre qualifying via the European Points List and Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick earning their spots via the World Points List.

Donald then confirmed his six wildcard selections in a special live programme at Sky Studios on Monday, where Aberg was announced alongside Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Hojgaard, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Sepp Straka to complete Europe’s line-up.

Luke Donald (right) and Zach Johnson (left) are the team captains for the 2023 contest in Rome

Aberg will be one of four rookies in Donald’s team at Marco Simone Golf Club from September 29-October 1, live on Sky Sports, where Europe will be looking to regain the trophy after a record-breaking defeat to Team USA in 2021.

The Swede, who only joined the paid ranks in June after an impressive amateur career, strengthened his hopes when he marked his ninth event as a professional with an impressive two-shot victory and maiden DP World Tour title in Switzerland on Sunday.

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Highlights from the fourth round of the Omega European Masters at the Golf-Club Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland

Aberg carded a final-round 64 at Crans-sur-Sierre to finish two strokes clear of Alexander Bjork, with the win lifting him inside the world’s top 100 and making a big enough statement to earn him a surprise appearance for Team Europe.

Fleetwood returns for a third consecutive appearance after narrowly missing out on automatic qualification via the World Points List, with the Englishman winning four points for Europe in their 2018 victory at Le Golf National.

Tommy Fleetwood has posted top-25 finishes in 10 of his last 12 worldwide starts

Lowry is included despite only registering one worldwide top 10 since his victory at the BMW PGA Championship last September, although did post three top-20 finishes in major his year, while Rose returns to the European line-up after missing out on a captain’s pick in the 2021 contest.

Hojgaard makes his maiden appearance after top-five finishes in his last two DP World Tour starts, with the Dane a former winner of the DS Automobiles Italian Open – held at the same venue as the Ryder Cup – in 2021.

Nicolai Hojgaard featured in the Hero Cup for Continental Europe earlier this season

Straka won the John Deere Classic and finished runner-up at The Open in July, with the Austrian handed a Ryder Cup debut after an impressive season on the PGA Tour, while Adrian Meronk narrowly missed out despite winning the Italian Open earlier this season.

What about Team USA?

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler topped the USA Ryder Cup rankings ahead of Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman, the two most recent major winners, while Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and Xander Schauffele completed the automatic qualifiers.

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Brooks Koepka says the Ryder Cup is ‘playing for something bigger than yourself’ after being chosen as a captain’s pick by USA captain Zach Johnson.

Zach Johnson then named his six captain’s picks on August 29, with Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas completing their line-up.

Sky Sports will have round-the-clock coverage from the Ryder Cup, with live programming for seven consecutive days from Italy and a host of extra action available throughout the week.

Watch the Ryder Cup this month exclusively live Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening day begins on Friday September 29 from 6am on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, Ryder Cup and more for £26 a month for 12 months with NOW.