07 February 2023 , 10:00
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Edoardo Molinari has sung the praises of Frenchman Victor Perez ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup - and he could be set to play a big part in the latest edition due to the unforeseen chaos of LIV Golf.
As always heading into a Ryder Cup year, plenty of talk is dominated by what rookies could be set to feature in the prestigious team event between Europe and the US but the spotlight is on potential debutants even more this time round following the uncertainty over the participation of some stars.
LIV Golf rebels face a nervous wait to find out whether they will feature at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club near Rome, with a DP World Tour hearing taking place this week which will go a long way in deciding their fate.
For Europe, the likes of Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey could all miss out for moving to the Saudi-backed series, but it could open the door for some very exciting young talent - with one catching the eye of vice-captain Molinari in particular.
"I think Victor Perez has got off to a good start, and he has grown not only as a person but as a player," vice-captain Molinari said exclusively to Mirror Sport at the recent Ras Al Khaimah Championship. "His attitude is different this year, you can tell that he really wants to be a part of the team."
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Perez - 61st in the world rankings - is firmly on course for a first Ryder Cup appearance under skipper Luke Donald, having recently won the 2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Victor Perez kisses the trophy after winning the recent Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (Getty Images)That victory helped launch himself up the European Ryder Cup rankings and into the automatic qualification places on the European Points list.
The 30-year-old is currently third in the European Ryder Cup standings behind star duo Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm - who will take the fight to a star-studded US team.
But Molinari wasn't keen to single out just one player for the future, claiming European fans have plenty to be excited about going forward.
"There are a lot of others, Robert MacIntyre, the two Hojgaard brothers (Rasmus and Nicolai), there is a lot of potential talent. Whether it is going to be this time or in two years time, they will all be Ryder Cup'ers one day and it is exciting times."