What Luke Donald ‘never imagined’ about his European Ryder Cup team after announcing his picks, ‘it is extraordinary’

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Luke Donald has confirmed his Ryder Cup team for Bethpage Black after naming his six captain’s picks.

The European Ryder Cup team is complete following Donald’s selections, with only one change made from the 2023 tournament.

Rasmus Hojgaard will come in for his brother Nicolai for Bethpage Black, with the 11 other players having all represented Europe in Rome two years ago.

American fans are worried about the Ryder Cup following the respective team announcements, which have arrived ahead of the tournament later this month.

Bradley announced his captain’s picks last month, which involved the American choosing not to select himself to play at the Ryder Cup.

Luke Donald shares what he ‘never imagined’ about his European Ryder Cup team

Donald thinks America are “very strong” for the Ryder Cup after learning of their full team, with the captain now sharing his thoughts on his own side for BBC Sport.

He said: “It is extraordinary, and even more extraordinary that we just switched one brother for another. We’ve changed one initial from Rome, I never imagined that it would be like that.

READ MORE: Luke Donald gives his opinion on Keegan Bradley deciding not to pick himself for the Ryder Cup

“You usually have people that lose form for whatever reasons and don’t continually play at a very high level, but you have to see that these guys have played at a very high level and really earned their spot on this team.”

Luke Donald shares his ‘first thought’ when he was made Ryder Cup captain for the second time

Unlike Bradley’s selections, Donald’s six picks for Bethpage Black were almost expected given the current state of play in European golf.

LIV Golf ace Tom McKibbin was a Ryder Cup outsider, while the likes of Harry Hall and Matt Wallace may also have been in that category.

But while there is just one change to his side, the European captain is expecting a different challenge entirely due to one key aspect.

Speaking of his approach, Donald explained: “We have to come at this with a really refreshed view of how we’re going to tackle it.

“20 months ago, when I was made captain again, this was my first thought. It’s like, what are the things that haven’t worked in the past away Ryder Cups, and how do we correct that?

“I’ve come at it from a different angle of communication with the players, what the environment requires and really doing a deep dive on that and the best practices.”

The American fans are set to be in full voice in New York at the end of September, both cheering on their side and providing a hostile environment for the visitors.

It means Europe have a very tough task on their hands if they want to become the first away Ryder Cup winners since 2012.

The Europeans triumphed at Medinah back then, with Donald hoping for a similar outcome this time around.

Current preparations for his side involve Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton playing at the Irish Open this week, with the trio then joining their teammates at the BMW PGA Championship.