The 2025 Ryder Cup has almost arrived, with captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald set to go head-to-head at Bethpage Black next week.
Bradley and Donald are good friends, but that friendship is set to be put to one side when the Ryder Cup gets underway.
The action starts next Friday in New York, with the United States looking to exact revenge on Europe for the 2023 event.
Europe won the Ryder Cup in Rome two years ago, and decided to reward Donald with another spell as captain following that success.
But the United States have made a change in that regard for Bethpage Black, with Bradley replacing Zach Johnson.
New Ryder Cup rule suggested which Rex Hoggard ‘loves’
However, just before the tournament, a rule has been suggested in light of European vice captain Alex Noren winning the BMW PGA Championship last week.
Speaking on Golf Channel, Damon Hack said: “The hottest golfer on the planet is Alex Noren, who is going to be having a headset instead of 14 clubs.
“Should the Europeans or the Americans delay at least one pick, we will call it the heat index pick, to two weeks before the matches so a guy of Alex Noren’s quality is not left to be a vice-captain rather than a player. Like a new version of the Billy Horschel rule from back in the day.”
Responding, Rex Hoggard said: “I love this idea. What is the hold up on this particular idea? The idea that you can’t get a guy fitted, I don’t believe that.
“I believe whoever the clothing sponsor is for each team they can come up with uniform set and a kit for each player in plenty of time.
“I think Billy Horschel was a really good example going back all those years. Now you look at the logistical concerns, between the time the Tour Championship ends and the Ryder Cup begins is five weeks.
“That’s probably too many weeks to begin with but if you are going to look into this, why not hold a pick until just before the week before?
“I’m not sure if it would have changed any of Luke Donald or Keegan Bradley’s decisions, but if you are a captain wouldn’t you want maximum flexibility?”
Why an updated Billy Horschel rule may not suit Ryder Cup captains
The intriguing discussion comes after Noren superbly won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, claiming his second success at the DP World Tour event.
And he battled past a very talented field to come out on top, with Sepp Straka the only European Ryder Cup player who didn’t take part.
The Billy Horschel rule was certainly a positive introduction amid this debate, having come into play after the American missed out on the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland.
But as was the case with Horschel back then, Noren has missed out on a Ryder Cup spot despite his strong run.
Along with his BMW PGA Championship success, the Swede triumphed at the British Masters last month.
And it seems that a call-up for Noren certainly wouldn’t have impacted Donald’s preparations much, with the former having linked up with the European Ryder Cup team shortly after his time at Wentworth.
But perhaps it would simply be too late in general to make such a significant change right before the event, which would incidentally have heaped pressure on Noren to perform.
It would also put unwanted pressure on Donald, who would share the burden for selecting a player right at the death.
And even with Noren’s impressive form, it remains to be seen whether Donald would have actually swapped out any of his six choices for the BMW PGA Championship winner.
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