Team Cup Leaves Luke Donald with Plenty to Ponder

Ahead of what could be a special edition of the Ryder Cup later this year, the European team’s preparations are already well underway.

The Team Cup was an opportunity for 2025 Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald to take a look at some old hands as well as some new, exciting young potential players who would have been hoping to force their way into Donald’s plans. 

Although the tournament itself was a bit of a non-event with the British and Irish team easily dispatching their continental opponents there was plenty for Donald to ponder as we review some of the storylines to emerge from the weekend. 

Tommy Fleetwood

It’s likely that Tommy Fleetwood is going to be one of Donald’s twelve men who will tee it up at Bethpage Black in September and although the man from Southport won’t be counting his chickens, his performances over the week at the Team Cup are bound to have impressed his captain. 

The only man who went undefeated through the entirety of the competition, Fleetwood has shown on multiple occasions that team events seem to be to his liking and the way he demolished his opposition this week, his temperament and ability to play his best in pressurised team events is something that Donald will certainly be seeking. 

It could be argued that Fleetwood is one of the best players in the game currently not to have won a major and it’s remarkable that a man of his talents is still to win on the PGA Tour. Whilst his place in New York is likely to be but all assured, he will be desperate to shed the nearly man tag this season. 

Tyrell Hatton

The road to automatic qualification for the Ryder Cup will be tricky for Tyrell Hatton simply due to the fact that LIV tournaments won’t count. Although he can still work his way in through some good performances at the Majors, it’s more likely that he will need to rely on his spot being based on a Captain’s pick.

Hatton is likely to be one of those picks. Not only does he have a great relationship with Jon Rahm, but the Englishman seems to revel in the atmosphere of the Ryder Cup and won’t be put off by the challenge that lay ahead for the Europeans. 

The Alfred Dunhill Champion, Hatton is another who seems to relish the match play environment and he went through his four matches, winning three and halving the other.

A veteran of team events, his performances this weekend is likely to make his omission extremely unlikely.

Tyrell Hatton


Paul Waring

The great thing about golf is that it can be a sport that can be played for a long time and through the years we have seen players emerge as a major force in their later years and that has certainly been the case with Paul Waring.

Now almost 40, Waring is riding high following the completion of his best season. A winner of the Abu Dhabi Championship, not only did that see Waring fly up the world rankings but it also cemented his position on the PGA Tour for this season. 

Although a spot in Donald’s team of twelve might look currently beyond him, Waring is seen as a valid outside contender who could well pull off the upset and be selected. 

He certainly didn’t do his chances any harm this weekend following a brilliant weekend where he earnt 3.5 points with three wins and a half point. 

Waring’s chances will rest on how he plays on the PGA Tour, if he can produce some solid performances he should be a name to watch with real interest. 

Tom McKibbin

Tom McKibbin has long been touted as a future Ryder Cup star but his impending move to LIV will make that trickier for the young Northern Irishman. 

Likely to need a Captain’s pick to make the final twelve man roster, this week should have boosted his prospects no end. Winning three of his four matches wouldn’t have gone unnoticed and McKibbin can do well on the LIV Tour against some big names and play strongly when back on the European Tour he could well make Luke Donald have a decision or two to make when it comes to his final selections.

Tom McKibbin


Mathieu Pavon and Antoine Rozner

It was always going to be a tall order for the Continental European side to overcome a talented British and Irish squad but two players who will emerge from the Continental’s defeat are the French duo of Mathieu Pavon and Antoine Rozner.

Of the two it is likely that Pavon will have the better chance to make his Ryder Cup debut, but the pair have shown this weekend that if they do both get selected they could be a real force in either the fourballs or foursome formats. 

Donald will always want flexibility and it’s terrific that another potential pairing has emerged from this week. The duo combined for almost half of the Continental side’s points and that effort certainly wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by Captain Donald. 

Rasmus Hojgaard

One man who would have hoped to have played slightly better for the Continental squad would have been Rasmus Hojgaard. 

Billed as one of the Continental’s team biggest hitters, Hojgaard didn’t impress as he would have liked, picking up just one point from the four matches that he participated in. 

A winner of the Irish Open, Hojgaard’s consistent performances this season saw only Rory McIlroy finish ahead of him in the 2024 Race to Dubai standings and that certainly leaves the young Dane with plenty of credit in the bank to hold onto.

Whilst one win across the weekend won’t create any positive headlines, Hojgaard’s adaptation to life on the PGA Tour is likely to be incredibly significant. He has shown on plenty of occasions that he has the game that belongs with the best, now he will need to consistently show it.