What 2023 European team may look like

Barring some material change in the rankings, a player’s form or health, let’s assume the previous nine names will be involved for Team Europe. That means Donald and Co. can get creative with their final three picks.

A year out from the event it seemed like Robert MacIntyre would be a guarantee given his 2022 Italian Open win at Marco Simone and support from McIlroy. He was third on both points lists but has since fallen to 18^th on the World list and 17^th on the European list.

As the first Ryder Cup to be held in Italy, an Italian has to be on this team, right? If they want some youthful energy, Donald can go with 26-year-old Guido Migliozzi, with whom he played at the 2022 Italian Open at Marco Simone, where Migliozzi finished T-34. Or maybe the Moliwood pairing comes back with Francesco Molinari (5-4-2 in his Ryder Cup history), whose brother Edoardo will serve as a vice-captain. Maybe both Italians get picked and we see a veteran/rookie pairing.

Speaking of brothers, what about the Hojgaard twins, Rasmus and Nicolai? Both have already won multiple times on the DP World Tour at just 22 years old and would make for a fun pairing, not to mention their strong course history. Nicolai won the Italian Open at Marco Simone in 2021, finished T-5 in 2023 and T-27 in 2022, whereas Rasmus finished T-18 in 2021, T-27 in 2022 and T-47 in 2023.

Other players who may have something to say over the next three months are Sepp Straka, Seamus Power, Victor Perez and Adrian Meronk.

As for LIV players, are any in good enough form to be considered for a pick? Not quite. Euro team members in 2021 who have joined the Saudi-backed circuit are Bernd Wiesberger and Paul Casey, and they won’t be in Italy. Veterans Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood all resigned their DP World Tour membership, so they’re out of the question, too.

Donald and his vice captains will have plenty of options to fill out their squad, but will it be enough to contend with the projected American team?