European Captain Luke Donald admits “it’s a shame” that Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia will no longer have a Ryder Cup future but the skipper is ready to focus on those who can impact the men in blue’s bid to win back the biennial trophy at Marco Simone in September.
Poulter, Westwood and Garcia have been exceptional Ryder Cup players for Europe through the years and all three looked assured future Captains before opting to sign big-money contracts with the Saudi-funded LIV series.
And after an arbitration panel ruled in favour of the DP World Tour’s decision to impose sanctions against its wantaway members, the trio have since resigned, leaving no doubt that their Ryder Cup careers are officially at an end.
“It’s sad we’ve got to this point but this was always a possibility,” Donald told BBC Sport “I played with all three and they’ve been stalwarts of, and given a lot to, both the Ryder Cup and European Tour.”
It was unlikely that any of the trio would’ve been able to play themselves into the automatic places on the side anyway, while given the strain on relationships with the ongoing post-LIV fallout, it would’ve been even harder to envisage Donald picking a player at the possible expense of the harmony of his team room.
Instead the Captain can now focus on who will be playing come September in Italy, finally getting clarity as to the potential make-up of his side.
“I have a little more clarity now,” Donald added. “I know they’re not an option to play in, or be any part of my team.”
“It is a shame,” he continued. “They’ve got a lot of history when it comes to the Ryder Cup.
“Ultimately this is their choice and I wish them well. They feel like this was the best choice for them and now I’ve got choices to make that are best for me.”
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