"Oh my f***g god!" - Ryder Cup rookie Nicolai Hojgaard's candid reaction to making European Team

Luke Donald selected a few rookies for the Ryder Cup, including Nicolai Hojgaard. That was a bit of a surprise to some people, including Hojgaard himself. When Donald told the rookie he'd been selected to come to Italy for the Ryder Cup, he was beside himself.

Donald said to Hojgaard via Mirror:

"Good playing in the last couple of weeks... I'm going to cut to the chase. I want you in Rome. How do you feel?"

Hojgaard, the 16th-ranked golfer on the DP World Tour, couldn't help but burst out with:

"Oh my f*****g god!"

Hojgaard was a bit embarrassed by his reaction, but he also said:

"I was hoping for it to be honest but after today it was a little bit mixed. I can’t describe how this conversation feels! I’ve said all along and talking with Thomas (Bjorn) about this all season, I said to him the biggest goal was to obviously get to Rome."

He added:

"It’s been a long season but I can’t describe how it feels. One thing is to be part of it and one thing is trying to get that trophy back again. I can’t wait, I can’t wait Luke.”

Nicolai Hojgaard's excitement was palpable.

Luke Donald discusses Nicolai Hojgaard pick

After calling and surprising the Danish golfer, Luke Donald also spoke about why he took him in the first place:

"Well, he's a young superstar. The world is his oyster when it comes to golf. We're seeing the beginning of stuff he's already accomplished at such a young age. Nicolai, obviously part of my having six picks was I wanted some very in-form players, and what he did the last two weeks was very, very special."

With Nicolai Hojgaard, Luke Donald's full team now consists of:

Rory McIlroy (qualifier)
Jon Rahm (qualifier)
Matt Fitzpatrick (qualifier)
Viktor Hovland (qualifier)
Tyrrell Hatton (qualifier)
Robert MacIntyre (qualifier)
Tommy Fleetwood (selection)
Sepp Straka (selection)
Justin Rose (selection)
Shane Lowry (selection)
Nicolai Hojaard (selection)
Ludvig Aberg (selection)

They will be up against this United States team:

Scottie Scheffler (qualifier)
Wyndham Clark (qualifier)
Brian Harman (qualifier)
Patrick Cantlay (qualifier)
Max Homa (qualifier)
Xander Schauffele (qualifier)
Brooks Koepka (selection)
Jordan Spieth (selection)
Cameron Young (selection)
Collin Morikawa (selection)
Keegan Bradley (selection)
Sam Burns (selection)

This should be a delightful competition and a key one for the European side. They have a few rookies, including Ludvig Aberg who was just named to the PGA Tour a few months ago. This could be a formative experience for the core of the European Ryder Cup roster for years to come.

Some people believe there were key snubs on both the European and American sides. Hojgaard was only 25th in points on the Ryder Cup standings but has been in great form. That was enough to impress Donald, but it's perhaps a reason why the golfer was so surprised by the call he received.

The Ryder Cup tees off at the end of the month, with a September 29 start date.