No-one knows more about qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team than Lee Westwood, with the Englishman making 11 appearances in the competition during his career.
Of course, it appears that Lee Westwood‘s days as a Ryder Cup player are now over, with the 51-year-old one of those who moved to LIV Golf back in 2022. There are also now serious doubts over whether he will ever get the chance to captain the team, when previously it seemed to be a formality that he would lead Europe at some stage.
Once again, Luke Donald will lead Europe in 2025, with the Englishman winning a lot of admirers for the job he did in Rome as Europe thrashed the Americans to regain the trophy.
However, winning on away soil has become one of the biggest challenges in elite golf, with Westwood and Donald part of the only away side to have won since the turn of the millennium – which was at Medinah 12 years ago.
Lee Westwood concerned after Europe announce changes ahead of Ryder Cup
Europe announced on Wednesday the qualification criteria which will decide who makes the team automatically. Unsurprisingly, there are still no points for those who play in LIV events, while there is a lot more stock put in performances on the PGA Tour. Other than the majors, no tournaments will receive more points than the signature events and FedEx Cup play-offs.
It is a further blow to the DP World Tour, which already sees its top 10 players each year earn PGA Tour cards. And speaking on Fairway to Heaven, Westwood hit out at the new qualification process.
“Well, two things that really jump out at you about yesterday’s decision is it’s going to be very, very hard for anybody just playing on the European Tour to qualify for the European Ryder Cup team, only if you’re going to get in majors and have a freak win or something like that, and then you deserve to be in the Ryder Cup team. You’ll probably get a pick anyway because it’s six picks,” he said.
“But also they’ve decided not to use the world rankings, so in effect, they’re saying they think the world rankings are rubbish now obviously.”
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If there is a Ryder Cup where a change is needed, it is perhaps this next one at Bethpage Black. The Europeans are going to be up against it, with a home side not losing a Ryder Cup in over a decade.
Obviously, this does not bode well for the DP World Tour, as Westwood suggests, but having a team made up of players largely based in the States may actually help, as it will be a lot easier to prepare for New York.
It remains to be seen if changes are made once again ahead of the 2027 edition in Ireland, but clearly, some believe that these decisions have only added to the feeling that the DP World Tour has become more of a feeder tour.
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