Two years ago, Europe defeated the United States in Rome’s last Ryder Cup.
And, in theory, it’s a good idea to go into the fight at Bethpage Black in New York, where 11 of the 12 players are.
The six automatically earned six qualifications, and Donald shaped the team, treating it as his wildcards by choosing Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka.
They are safe choices in many ways and are logical. But there is definitely something different to win on overseas soil.
The home team has won eight times in the last nine Ryder Cups. Outliers require a miracle.
Indeed, Europe’s stunning counterattack of 10-4 declines in Illinois in 2012 was created by the “Medina Miracle.”
So is Donald’s draft pick correct? We are not sure yet and will roll the dice with these two major changes.
Go Out: Matt Fitzpatrick
These numbers are quite abominable. Matt Fitzpatrick played in three Ryder Cups and lost seven of his eight games.
Fitzpatrick lost two games in 2016 at Hazeltine in his two far-off Ryder Cup matches, and in 2021, he lost three of three out of three in the Whistle Channel.
Of course, he has since won the U.S. Open (2022), but the great Ryder Cup players tend to do well in the biennial showdown.
Most of this fierce showdown took place in my mind. Fitzpatrick will be aware of his terrible Ryder Cup record record, which makes him vulnerable even if his latest performance is encouraging.
In: Marco Penge
Remember Thomas Pieters in the 2016 Ryder Cup in the Hazel Cup?
The Belgian is a big rookie with no experience on this level, but he proved his wildcard from Darren Clarke’s wildcard draft, the highest scorer in Europe, with four points.
For Pieters in 2016, read Marco Penge in 2025.
The British hit a mile, ideal for the long Bethpage Black, who won the wins in his last three DP World Tour starts, sixth and eighth.
Pench would be ideal for four balls and with an unparalleled all-out attitude, he could have been the “X” factor needed to help with this increasingly uphill mission: winning the Ryder Cup departure.
Fitzpatrick is a well-known, striking entity. Penge is a Maverick, and if the British actually clicked, Bradley and his team might find it difficult to tame.
Go out: Sepp Straka
It’s hard to maintain excellence throughout the calendar year, and there’s no doubt that Sepp Straka would be one of the most legitimate players in Europe if the Ryder Cup played in the first half of this year.
But now the situation is different. He quit the recent BMW Championship with a “personal problem” before finishing the 30th and final matches in the end-of-season Tour Championship.
Hopefully everything is fine, but it seems like this Ryder Cup may be at the wrong time to Straka.
There is usually a tough story that the Austrian will feel reasonable if not selected – even if he is in the professional competition this year (MC-MC-MC-52) may be another issue.
But sometimes hard decisions need to be made, and Donald may have made a simple choice for that.
In: Matt Wallace
Again, let’s get back to the idea of needing something extreme to win the Ryder Cup.
If a poll asks which player is most obsessed with European teams, the winner may be Matt Wallace.
He ended up finishing 12th on the automatic qualifying roster after finishing runner-up in Switzerland on Sunday, a place for Matt Fitzpatrick.
Wallace then was tearfully stormed in Sky Sports, knowing that maybe only one victory would give him a chance to be Donald’s team. In fact, even that might not be enough.
However, he could have been a different manufacturer. Wallace will bring huge passion and unlimited energy to the locker room. And you feel like he wants to hand it over to the noisy New York crowd.
This is the last little-known twist. Wallace competed in the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black and ranked third. He is the only European in the top seven.
With current forms, course forms, previous PGA Tour victory, and a spike attitude formulated against the raging rage of Ryder Cup, Wallace’s case of handing over wildcards is strong.
Read the next article: Ranking: European teams from strongest to weakest player
