Europe completes its team for the Ryder Cup with the Swede Aberg as a great novelty
Probably, after his victory on Sunday at the Omega European Masters, the selection to be part of the European Ryder Cup team of the Swede Ludvig Aberg, a 23-year-old player from the University of Texas Tech, who is He turned professional in June.
Captain Luke Donald had already spoken to the young Nordic prodigy about this possibility after his fourth place in the Masters in the Czech Republic a week ago, and a good performance in Switzerland was the only thing he needed to certify his ticket to Rome. He was also backed by a fourth-place finish in the PGA Tour’s John Deree Classic.
Aberg and five more elections
The winner in 2022 and 2023 of the Ben Hogan award for the best university player in the US – only Jon Rahm, and he has won it throughout history in consecutive years – could not have responded in a better way and has earned one of the picks in the captain (six in total). Donald’s other choices, in addition to Aberg, have been Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Nicolai Hojgaard, so Team Europe is now formed to face Team USA from September 29 to October 1 in Marco Simone (Rome).
They all join the players who had already secured their place, that is, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Robert MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick. This is a team with three rookies, but they have a lot to say after losing 19-9 at Whistling Straits two years ago. In the case of Tommy Fleetwood’s call it was more than evident since he had been on the verge of entering through the world ranking. Sepp Straka, the first Austrian to win on the PGA Tour (the 2023 John Deree Classic), is the second of his nationality to compete in the competition. Shane Lowry and Justin Rose (AT&T won) were two logical choices both on merit this year, and on experience and leadership. In the specific case of Rose, a former world number one, he returns after missing in 2021. The list is completed by the Danish Nicolai Hojgaard, a player with seven ‘top 10’ this year, and it is surprising that the Polish Adrian Meronk, winner, is not there. This course of the Italian Open in Marco Simone.
With the absence of Sergio García, the youngest player to have played in a Ryder Cup and the one who holds the record for points in the history of the competition, the role of ‘boss’ of the Old Continent team falls to Rory McIlroy, with six appearances – this will be his seventh – and at an excellent moment in his career despite the fact that the ‘majors’ continue to resist him. Along with Rory, Jon Rahm will be the mainstay of the European team. For the ‘León de Barrika’, the only European winner this year of a major, it will be his third Ryder and in the two previous editions he has played eight matches, winning four, losing three and drawing one, with a total of 4.5 points. In Whistling Straits, he formed the best pairing of Team Europe with Sergio García and was the only thing salvageable from Padraig Harrington’s team. This time the Spaniard will have to look for a new partner, although in that edition he also got half a point along with Tyrrell Hatton.
Rahm, along with McIlory and Viktor Hovland, the three in the world’s ‘top 5’, are of course the three great European stars, against an American team, as always, very powerful.