Luke Donald should consider picking LIV Golf player who Rory McIlroy is a big fan of for the Ryder Cup

Add as preferred source on Google

The Ryder Cup focus now turns to European captain Luke Donald, who will name his six picks for Bethpage Black next week.

Keegan Bradley has confirmed his American Ryder Cup team, which as always includes six automatic qualifiers and six captain’s picks.

Donald must now finalise his choices for the prestigious tournament, with those choices set to be announced on Monday.

Bradley is good friends with Donald, although the pair will set that friendship aside when they go head-to-head at the Ryder Cup next month.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the American team is dominated by PGA Tour players, with Bryson DeChambeau the only LIV Golf representative.

Luke Donald should consider picking LIV Golf player for the Ryder Cup

But it looks like being a slightly different story for Team Europe, who like America had one LIV Golf player finish in the top six of their qualification rankings.

Tyrrell Hatton stands alone in that regard for the visiting team, but he looks set to be joined by fellow LIV member Jon Rahm.

READ MORE: Graeme McDowell reacts to Keegan Bradley not picking himself and has clear opinion on if it’s the right call

They are Legion XIII teammates, but Donald could remarkably turn to another of their members for Bethpage Black.

Finishing 20th in the LIV Golf individual standings in his debut season, in which he carded four top 10 finishes, Tom McKibbin should at least be under consideration for a Ryder Cup spot.

Despite being offered a PGA Tour card, he made the controversial switch to the Saudi-backed league at the start of 2025, and seemingly hasn’t looked back.

He’ll be full of confidence at this moment in time, especially after playing a starring role in Legion XIII’s Team Championship win in Michigan.

Moreover, Donald will be well aware of the need for big hitters at Bethpage Black, and McKibbin was very much one of the very best in that area in 2025.

He finished the LIV Golf season ranked seventh for driving distance, with his average yards total of 322.2 just behind Rahm in sixth.

What has Rory McIlroy said about LIV Golf player Tom McKibbin?

McKibbin has caught the eye of Rory McIlroy in his relatively brief career so far, with the duo both hailing from Northern Ireland.

After McKibbin won the European Open in 2023, McIlroy commented: “For 20 years old he showed so much composure.

“And, yeah, we’ve all known from back home the potential that he has, but I think to break through and win for the first time at 20 years old is, there’s a bright future ahead of him.”

McIlroy was the first European Ryder Cup player confirmed, and while it is unlikely, there is an outside chance that he could be joined in New York by McKibbin.

There is, of course, the added bonus of Donald having a ready-made pairing if needed, with McKibbin having worked in close quarters with both Hatton and Rahm this season.

At 22, the Northern Irishman is still young, but McIlroy and other experienced members of the team would undoubtedly be more than happy to help guide him through what would be a Ryder Cup debut.