European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is to have six wildcard choices at his disposal for next year’s matches in Rome following the unveiling of a raft of changes to the qualification process for Team Europe.
The qualification period for European players will begin at next week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and will conclude on September 3, 2023, three weeks ahead of the Ryder Cup.
Under the revised selection process, six players will qualify automatically – three from the European Points List and the three leading players on the World Points List – while the remaining six players will picked by European team captain Luke Donald.
Another change, agreed by Donald, and vice-captains Thomas Bjørn and Edoardo Molinari and the DP World Tour Tournament Committee, sees a modification in the points allocation for the European Points List. In previous years, the ratio between the highest and lowest ranked events on the DP World Tour exhibited a factor of 6:1 (12,000 points v 2,000 points). Under the new system, this is reduced to a factor of 4:1 (6,000 points v 1,500 points).
One element which has not changed however, is that no points will be available from any tournament played anywhere in the world scheduled against a Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour.
Donald said: “These changes to the qualification process for Team Europe follow in-depth analysis with the team at Ryder Cup Europe and with Thomas and Edoardo. I’m delighted that when we presented our thoughts to the Tournament Committee, they were 100% behind them.
“The revised overall process removes the need for points multipliers in the last few months of the qualifying period, and the six picks give me flexibility to ensure we have the strongest line-up at Marco Simone in terms of in-form players, players with Ryder Cup experience, and potential pairings.
“As far as the European Points List is concerned, modifying the points allocation will give an improved chance for DP World Tour members playing predominantly on the DP World Tour to make the Ryder Cup team through one of the now three spots available from that list.
We have also moved the end of the qualification period forward to give the players the right amount of preparation time once they have made the team.
“A lot of work has already happened behind the scenes, but in many ways the start of the qualification campaign represents the true beginning of the Ryder Cup journey, so I am delighted to confirm these details today. We are all focused on reclaiming the Ryder Cup in Rome next September and this qualification system gives us the best opportunity of doing just that.”
Guy Kinnings, European Ryder Cup Director, said: “We are delighted with the details of the qualification process for the 2023 European Ryder Cup team announced today. Luke has already proven himself to be a strong and resolute captain with firm ideas on how to get the best out of Team Europe. He proved that throughout this consultation and analysis period and I think the fact that our Tournament Committee were fully behind his thoughts and ideas illustrated how much respect they have for him.
“Every single member of the Team Europe backroom team is excited by today’s announcement and very much looking forward not only to the start of the qualification campaign at the BMW PGA Championship, but also the full 12-month campaign leading up to Rome next September.”
No mention was made as to whether European players currently competing on the LIV Golf Series will be eligible for Ryder Cup selection, but it is understood that a five-day hearing, presided over by Sport Resolutions UK, is due to take take place in February next year, when the fate of Europe’s LIV Golfers members will be decided by an independent panel. Until that point, LIV Golf players can continue participate in DP World Tour events where eligible, collect Ryder Cup qualification points and feature on the order of merit. This opens the door for the involvement of the players in question in the Race to Dubai finale in November, plus the Middle East swing in January 2023.
Last month an arbitration judge placed a pause on sanctions – a suspension plus £100,000 fine – against golfers, including Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio García and Graeme McDowell, who featured on the LIV platform without being cleared to do so by the DP World Tour.
The PGA TOUR has already revoked the membership of LIV golfers and, as things stand, will not allow US players currently competing in LIV Golf events to be available for selection for the US Ryder Cup team. A legal objection to PGA Tour bans by a handful of LIV members will not be heard until the autumn of next year at the earliest. LIV Golf players will also not be eligible to play in either the International or US teams at the 2022 Presidents Cup, which takes place at Quail Hollow Golf Club in the US from September 22-25.