The Ryder Cup, one of the most-anticipated tournaments in golf, is just a few weeks away. The golf world has been rife with excitement and controversy as the captain of the US team declared his picks for the esteemed event a few days back. And, following his suit, Luke Donald announced his wild cards which left a lot of confusion among many, especially a former Ryder Cup player.
The bold decision by the European skipper to snub many quality players for the current list of golfers did not seem right to the PGA Tour Pro. You might be wondering as to what made the golfer take to his social media account in a perplexed manner of sorts. Well, let’s dive right into the story.
Former Ryder Cup player baffled at Luke Donald’s picks
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
On Monday, the community saw Donald announce his six picks for the biennial event. And, a large part of enthusiasts including Hunter Mahan couldn’t help but get disappointed as some good players such as Adrian Meronk were snubbed. The 41-year-old was confused and took to his Twitter handle to express the same.
The 6X PGA Tour winner was seen replying to a post made by NUCLR GOLF which listed down the achievements of Meronk all the while asking their followers for their opinion. The European player had won the Australian and the Irish Open in 2022 followed by the Italian Open at Marco Simone golf course in 2023. Moreover, the 30-year-old was also in 3rd place in the Race to Dubai rankings behind Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm.
Replying to the question, Mahan conveyed his bewildered position on the same as he commented, “makes no sense” while proving to be an unexpected ally to Adrian. The three-time American Ryder Cup star could not get any heads and tails around the skipper’s decision who preferred someone else over a player who was 5th on the Ryder Cup list and placed 25th in the 2023 Open Championship.
Makes zero sense.
— Hunter Mahan (@HunterMahan) September 4, 2023
Well, regardless of the selection, it has been an incredible breakout season for the Polish golfer who came out as a superstar for his country. Many other players, including a LIV golfer, took a jab at Donald for his controversial picks.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Luke Donald attracts backlash from LIV golfer
Many in the golf community could not believe their ears when they heard the news of Shane Lowry making it into the European team. The same was the case with Richard Bland who expressed his dissatisfaction with the picks as he took to Instagram. The Cleeks GC golfer mentioned how Adrian, who won the Italian Open at the venue of the Ryder Cup, deserved a pick over Lowry who is out of form at the moment.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Although the Irish golfer had placed himself in the top 20 in three of his last four majors this year, his form had been on the decline as opposed to Meronk who finished tied 13th in the Omega European Masters a few days back.