Luke Donald deals crushing blow to Ryder Cup rookie hopefuls (but it’s good news for LIV Golf)

Luke Donald has cleared up the confusion surrounding Jon Rahm and other LIV Golf stars' hopes for the Ryder Cup.

If you have any ambition of making Luke Donald’s European Ryder Cup team, it looks like you’re going to have to get there on merit. And that will be music to the ears of those hopeful LIV golfers…

Luke Donald has dropped his biggest hints yet about who he will and won’t be taking to the Ryder Cup in September.

The Englishman is looking to become the first European captain to head back over the Atlantic with the Samuel Ryder trophy since Jose Maria Olazabal masterminded the Miracle at Medinah 13 years ago.

And while it will come as little surprise that Donald wants his best 12 to head into the cauldron that is Bethpage State Park, the skipper knows he will have to rely on a few wise heads – which will certainly help the cause of several players currently plying their trade in the LIV Golf League.

Speaking to the press ahead of the PGA Championship – in the very same chair that, just 24 hours prior, Jon Rahm revealed he’d had no reassurances from his captain – Donald confirmed that he hasn’t yet “given anyone the nod”.

“We have very in-depth stats,” he continued. “We know exactly how these players are playing. We have a great idea of where they stack up against each other and against the US.

“But I certainly think it’s a little too early to be giving anyone firm assurances right now. We have three majors, elevated events, plenty of other events, and Rolex Series events to play. I want them to go out and feel like they go and earn it. Let’s go in and play well.

“But again, we do have a lot of stats. In terms of Jon, he’s one of the best players in the world, and I would expect him to be on that team, but I certainly haven’t given him those assurances. He still needs to keep going and playing just like everyone else.

“Again, no assurances have been given right now.”

• No one is talking about Jon Rahm – maybe we should be

• This LIV star had to buy his own putter – now he’s about to use it at the PGA

But in Donald’s apparent eagerness to relay that no one has been told where they stand, he also dealt a significant blow to those hoping to follow in the footsteps of Ludvig Aberg, Sepp Straka and Nicolai Hojgaard, who were all handed debuts for the 2023 matches in Rome.

Thinking about how he might utilize his six captain’s picks, Donald added: “I think I will certainly give a little bit more importance to experience, people who have been able to handle those big moments under the most scrutiny, those major championships, people who can step up, have had chances to win or have won major championships.

“I think it’s something I will definitely consider, and it will be something that could give someone an edge if they’re on a very similar playing field in terms of statistics.”

Presuming Donald sticks to his word and doesn’t put his trust in any debutants, as it stands only Rasmus Hojgaard would be a Ryder Cup first-timer in New York – with Straka, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Rose currently dominating the six automatic qualifying spots, and Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood nipping at their heels.

And it certainly gives hopes to the likes of Rahm and Sergio Garcia – who, along with Hatton, are the only players in the middle of the LIV Golf-Ryder Cup experience Venn diagram.

“We know exactly how they’re playing,” Donald confirmed.

“Then obviously the majors are important. That’s the time when everyone gets together on good golf courses and you have stacked fields. Just to see how they’re playing in those is another point that we take into consideration quite a lot.”

• Rory McIlroy puts Bryson DeChambeau in his place after Masters comments

• Why LIV players that want to make the Ryder Cup NEED to play well at the PGA Championship

One thing’s for sure, Donald is confident in his ability to guide his team to glory in September. Even if it did take a while to get there.

“As a captain, I certainly learned a lot about myself before Rome,” he explained. “When I was given the call, I had some doubts whether I could fulfil the role, whether I had the abilities to do that.

“And certainly in the last three years now, I’ve learned a lot about myself, I’ve learned a lot about leadership, learned about how to come out of my natural introvertness a little bit more.

“I think it’s only helped me as a person, helped me understand myself a little bit better. It’s been a challenge.

“I think just as my individual career, I’ve always tried to push myself and go towards those challenges, and this has certainly been one of those. I’ve loved every minute of it, even during the hard moments.”

Donald, playing in his 18th PGA Championship, will get the tournament underway at 7am on Thursday alongside former champions Padraig Harrington and Martin Kaymer.