Former world No.1 Luke Donald’s omission is the biggest talking point after the European and USA teams were finalised for golf’s showpiece Ryder Cup contest.
Renowned for having one of the best short games in the world, Donald was a key player as Europe lifted the Cup in all four of his past appearances: in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012.
He was left out when Europe’s new captain Paul McGinley picked fellow stalwarts Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter and debutant Stephen Gallacher as the three wildcard selections to finalise his 12-man team for the biennial clash at Gleneagles in Scotland from September 26-28.
“That was a very, very difficult conversation – my relationship with Luke is very close,” said McGinley, who was Donald’s playing partner for the Englishman’s first Ryder Cup match.
“He was very, very disappointed, and rightly so … His record in the Ryder Cup stands with anybody in the game.”
Form was the issue.
Donald has struggled this year after making changes to his swing.
Second place at the Heritage in April was his last top-30 finish on the US PGA Tour, leaving him a shadow of the player who rose to No.1 and was the leading money-winner on both sides of the Atlantic in 2011.
McGinley has three rookies in his team, Gallacher and automatic qualifiers Victor Dubuisson and Jamie Donaldson. They join Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, Thomas Bjorn and Graeme McDowell.
US captain Tom Watson went with experience and a gut feeling when he filled out his team with Keegan Bradley, Hunter Mahan and Webb Simpson as his wildcards to join Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Jimmy Walker, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Zach Johnson.
Not so valuable was recent success. He left out Chris Kirk, who finished higher in the final Ryder Cup standings than Simpson, and who won the Deutsche Bank Championship a day earlier by going head-to-head with Rory McIlroy over the final 36 holes.
The other two choices were not surprising. Even though Bradley has not won a tournament in two years and missed out by three spots qualifying on his own, he has raw power suited for the event and won all three of his matches in a partnership with Phil Mickelson two years ago at Medinah.
Mahan is the only pick who has been on a winning team, though he is associated more with the wrenching emotion that losing brings. Mahan was in the decisive match four years ago at Wales when Graeme McDowell made all the right shots in another European victory.
Mahan was left off the 2012 team, even though he narrowly missed qualifying.
