Meet the Ryder Cup’s 2023 Team USA and Team Europe as 6 LIV Golf rebels snubbed

With both US and Europe Ryder Cup teams announced the buzz is well underway for one of golf’s most exciting competitions. But who are the stars that will take to the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome this Sept? Thankfully Express US Sport has you covered with all you need to know ahead of the tournament.

Team Europe – Luke Donald

Donald stepped in to captain the European team after Henrink Stenson’s defection to joi the LIV Golf circuit. A former world no. 1, Donald has 17 professional wins throughout his career, including five wins on the PGA Tour. Held in high regard by the Americans having forged his career and life in the United States, he has been a pillar of the European team having won on all four of his appearance as a player.

Tommy Fleetwood

Making his third appearance at the Ryder Cup, Fleetwood was one of Donald’s first picks. It was no surprise to see the 32-year-old named after a strong year on the PGA Tour. Despite being unable to win a tournament he managed seven top ten finishes. Fleetwood has impressed throughout his whole career, claiming nine professional wins with two second-place major finishes at the U.S. Open in 2018 and The Open Championship in 2019.

Sepp Straka

Austria’s Sepp Straka who will be making his Ryder Cup debut. The 30-year-old comes into the team after winning the John Deere Classic earlier in the year, giving him two PGA Tour career wins. A rock solid season saw him finish T14 in the FedEx Cup standings. He is the second Austria to make the team, after Bernd Wiesberger in the 2021 match.

Justin Rose

The 2023 Ryder Cup will be Rose’s sixth appearance as a veteran of the sport. At 43 he is one of the most experienced golfers on the team and has 25 professional wins, including the 2013 U.S. Open. Rose won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am earlier this year.

Shane Lowry

The 36-year-old Irishman is making his second Ryder Cup appearance and comes off the back of nine top 20 finishes this year, including a T5 finish at The Honda Classic. Lowry won The Open Championship back in 2019 and has six professional wins.

Nicolai Hojgaard

A Ryder Cup debut is in store for the young Denmark golfer. At 22 Hojgaard already has three professional wins and managed a second place finish at the Corales Puntacana Championship this season. His brother Rasmus was also among the names in contention for a captains pick.

Ludvig Aberg

Perhaps the most in-form golfer on the European team, the 23-year-old Swedish star is fresh from winning the European Masters. Having turned professinal just a few months ago, Aberg has the distinction of becoming the first player to feature in a Ryder Cup before playing a major championship.

Viktor Hovland

The 25-year old Norwegian has enjoyed a season to remember, winning the BMA Championship, the TOUR Championship and the Hero World Challenge earlier in the year along with a string of top ten finishes. By winning the season-ending Tour Championship he claimed the Fed Ex Cup and the £18million bonus that went with it. This year will be his second Ryder Cup.

Robert MacIntyre

Scotland’s 27-year-old representative managed to secure his place on the last day of qualifying. He won last year’s Italian Open at Marco Simone and will bring course knowledge to the team as he looks to add further team success to his three professional wins.

Rory McIlroy

It’s no surprise to see McIlroy qualify for his seventh consecutive Ryder Cup. The 34-year-old golfing superstar has 37 career wins which includes two PGA Championships, the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. This year McIlroy finished second at the U.S. Open and climed the the Scottish Open and the CJ CUP in South Carolina.

Matt Fitzpatrick

Former US Open champion Fitzpatrick was another who qualified automatically. His win at the RBC Heritage this year cementing his status as one of the best on the planet. This year will be his third Ryder Cup.

Jon Rahm

This will be a third Ryder Cup for the 28-year-old Spanish world no. 3. Rahm is one of the best performing golfers of the year having won four tournaments already which includes this year’s Masters to go with his first major title which came at the US Open in 2023.

Tyrrell Hatton

With ten professional wins the 31-year-old has bags of experience and will be making his third consecutive Ryder Cup appearance. This year the Englishman managed a second place finish at The Players Championship to go with three top five finishes and will bring his fiery competitive streak to the fairways.

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Don’t miss… Team USA Ryder Cup squad announced as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka calls made[LATEST]

Team USA – Zach Johnson

This year’s captain for the American team is 47-year-old Johnson who has managed 26 professional wins, including The Open Championship in 2015 and the 2007 Masters. The American has featured at the Ryder Cup four times and will be hoping to lead his team to victory in Italy this year.

Sam Burns

A Ryder Cup debut for the 27-year-old who has been selected by Johnson after making five top ten finishes this year. The Louisiana-born golfer has continued to impress throughout the year and will now hope to add to his six professional wins in Rome.

Patrick Cantlay

Another Ryder Cup is in store for veteran Cantlay who managed to finish second at the Shriners Children’s Open and third at both the RBC Heritage and The Genesis Invitational this year. The 31-year-old is one of the most in form Americans heading into the tournament.

Brian Harman

Another Ryder Cup debutant, but one who more than deserves his place on the team. The 36-year-old is fresh from his Open win earlier in the year and a couple of second-placed finishes at the Travelers Championship and the Championship at Mayakoba.

Wyndham Clark

It’s the year for debutants on the U.S. team with Clark also making his first Ryder Cup. The 29-year-old has two wins under his belt this year at the Wells Fargo Championship and a first major, which came at the U.S. Open, finished on a high with a third placed finish at the Tour Championship.

Scottie Scheffler

Scheffer is no stranger to the tournament having appeared back in 2021. The current world No. 1 will be the one to watch this year after winning The Players Championship and the WM Phoenix Open. Last season was the 27-year-old’s biggest to date where he claimed the Masters to win his first major.

Max Homa

Yet another debutant on the team but one that will excite fans. At 32, Homa has two wins this year, the Fortinet Championship and the Farmers Insurance Open, and came in second place at the The Genesis Invitational.

Xander Schauffele

This will be Schauffele’s second Ryder Cup and the 31-year-old Californian has two second place finishes this year, at the Tour Championship and the Wells Fargo Championship, and nine top ten finishes this year. The Olympic gold medalist from 2021 will form a key part of an inexperienced team.

Rickie Fowler

At 34 Fowler has returned to form in style this year, securing a fourth Ryder Cup appearance. Fowler won the Rocket Mortgage Classic this year but is another whose consistency is outlined by eight top ten finishes.

Justin Thomas

Thomas, who has been battling form concerns for much of the season, is another with experience at the Ryder Cup. The 30-year-old has already been called up twice before and away from the tournament has two PGA Championship wins under his belt – in 2017 and 2022.

Brooks Koepka

Perhaps the most controversial name on the team sheet. Koepka has three Ryder Cup appearances but has since defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league for a lucrative contract. Despite playing fewer tournaments than his teammates the 33-year-old won the LIV Golf Invitational Orlando and has three finishes in the top five. His performances in majors show that his switch of allegiance has not diminished he ability to compete at the very highest level, winning his sixth major title at the U.S Open in May.

Jordan Spieth

Spieth, along with Fowler, has four Ryder Cup appearances. This season the 30-year-old Texan has earned seven top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at the RBC Heritage.

Collin Morikawa

A second Ryder Cup call-up has been granted to the 26-year-old Californian after seven top ten finishes this season. Morikawa finished as the runner-up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and knows what it takes to win with a 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 The Open Championship to his name.

LIV Golf

One of the big changes for this year is the lack of LIV Golf players joining the team. European players aren’t allowed to feature at the tournament having had their DP Tour Cards taken away, but the U.S. has rules that will allow players such as Koepka to take part.

  • Sergio Garcia
  • Ian Poulter
  • Lee Westwood
  • Dustin Johnson
  • Bryson DeChambeau
  • Patrick Reed

The tournament starts on September 25 at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.

Source: Read Full Article