Luke Donald told to pick Ryder Cup rookie in "no brainer" after LIV Golf exodus

31 August 2023 , 21:51

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Luke Donald told to pick Ryder Cup rookie in "no brainer" after LIV Golf exodus

Luke Donald has been told to select Swedish rookie Ludvig Aberg as one of his six Ryder Cup captain's picks by fellow PGA Tour star Byeong Hun An.

Donald will captain Team Europe on home soil next month, as they host their American rivals at Marco Simone in Rome. Four of the Englishman's 12 European players are already confirmed, with Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton all cemented into the team.

Two automatic spots remain for the Europeans, and they will be decided following the end of the Omega European Masters this weekend. Those who fail to take one of the two spaces will then be relying on the choice of Donald, who will select the second half of his team via his six picks.

Donald will lead a new-look Europe into battle in Italy, as the hosts will have to get used to life without stalwarts Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood. This comes after the experienced trio made the move to LIV Golf and resigned their DP World Tour memberships, ending their Ryder Cup eligibility.

But there is no cause for concern in the European camp, with a whole host of rookie stars impressing across both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour throughout the year, ready to step into the shoes of Poulter and co. One of those in particular is Swedish starlet Aberg.

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The 23-year-old has catapulted into the Ryder Cup conversation in recent months after impressing on the PGA Tour. Aberg only made the decision to turn professional in June, but since then has looked more than comfortable alongside golf's top players.

Ludvig Aberg has been backed to make the Ryder Cup team (Getty Images)

The Swede has recorded five top-25 finishes in nine starts on the American-based circuit this year, with his best finish coming in a tie for fourth at the John Deere Classic in July. He then replicated this finish last week on his pro debut on the DP World Tour, finishing five shots behind winner Todd Clements at the Czech Masters.

Many believe the Ryder Cup may have come slightly too soon for Aberg this time around, but not Hun An. Taking to Twitter the South Korean backed his fellow PGA Tour star to make the European team, writing: "Aberg for Ryder Cup is a no brainer."

In a second post he then added: "He hasn’t won anything but his game looks solid. Pretty decent all around. I don’t see anyone better than him for the last spot." Hun An's support came on the back of a succesful start to the European Masters for Aberg. The Swede posted a bogey-free six-under-par 64 on Thursday to leave him one shot off the lead heading into day two.

Joshua Lees