European Ryder Cup Captain has made it clear that his selection process for the Ryder Cup has not changed, despite the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and LIV Golf merging commercial operations under common ownership.
When the news broke two weeks ago, there were all sorts of questions asked of what would this ‘merger’ would entail and whether it would affect the selection process for the Ryder Cup, with the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia currently unable to compete at this year’s edition after resigning their DP World Tour membership.
Despite the agreement, Donald has admitted nothing has yet changed when it comes to eligibility.
“Obviously when that announcement was made, my first question was, ‘does this affect anything I am doing and my selection process and my ability to select players?’,” said Donald, who is competing at this week’s BMW International Open.
“To be honest, nothing has changed.
“We are still bound by the rules and regulations that the arbitration granted the DP World Tour a few months ago.
“To be eligible, you still have to be born in Europe and be a DP World Tour member. So, nothing has changed.”
Without Ryder Cup stalwarts of the past the European side is likely to have a very different look to it this year, with the likes of Adrian Meronk, Yannik Paul, Victor Perez and Sepp Straka all pushing for a spot in Rome.
They are likely to join players with previous experience in the biennial showpiece, including Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, whom have both enjoyed success this season.
“It’s great to see a lot of the guys who have Ryder Cup experience and guys you expect to be playing well are playing well,” said Donald.
“They seem to be up there week in, week out. But obviously, it takes 12 and there are still some spots open for people who want to make their own mark as rookies, and I want everyone to keep playing as hard as they can for the next two months.”
