"That’s the right way to go about it" - Shane Lowry backs Europe's Ryder Cup Team picks as 'best 12 players'
The Europe Ryder Cup team for 2023 has been announced just a month ahead of the biennial tournament. Needless to say, the team comprises some of the most talented players, setting up for an exciting face-off with the US Team.
Apart from the automatic qualifiers, captain Luke Donald also selected six players that he thought would best fit the team. Among them was Shane Lowry, who will be playing his second Ryder Cup. Needless to say, Lowry is incredibly proud of the European team, stating that they are the best 12 players that could have been chosen.
“If you look at the way the team was picked, there’s not many players playing that weren’t in the top 12, myself included. And that’s why you have six picks, so you have the chance to pick the 12 best players," he said, via Yahoo News.
“I personally think that’s the right way to go about it and I think we have the best 12 players from Europe coming to play this Ryder Cup, and I think we’re in form," he added.
The European Ryder Cup team comprises Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Ludvig Aberg.
Shane Lowry comments on exclusion of Adrain Meronk from Ryder Cup team: "He’s unfortunate to miss out"
It was a tough choice to pick the 12-player team, of which six spots were already taken up by the automatic qualifiers. The exclusion of Adrian Meronk from the team sparked quite a lot of outrage among fans and experts.
Lowry commented on the situation, saying:
"Well, people have their opinion. Adrian has had a great year and obviously he’s unfortunate to miss out, but somebody has to miss out. I’m not going to sit here and disagree with Luke Donald. It was his decision at the end of the day, if he thinks that somebody else is better for this team than he (Meronk) was."
Regardless, the Ryder Cup teams are all set to face off against each other between September 30 and October 1 at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome. The US team will look to defend its title from the 2021 Whistling Straits. However, it will not be easy, as the Europe team brings a wealth of experience and talent to the table this year.