Donald and Molinari overlooked

European Tour
  • September 2, 2014

Former world number on Luke Donald and Francesco Molinari have missed out on selection for European’s Ryder Cup team.

Captain Paul McGinley named has three wildcards at a press conference on Tuesday. Luke Donald is considered quite unlucky to miss out, as he has a great Ryder Cup record, earning a possible 10.5 out of 15 points.

“That was a very difficult conversation for a number of reasons – personal more than anything else to be honest,” McGinley told Sky Sports.

“My relationship with Luke is very close – when played his first ever Ryder Cup match I was his partner in 2004. Every Ryder Cup he’s been involved in I’ve been involved in – the only one that both of us missed recently was 2008.

“He’s been an incredible performer over the years and his record in the Ryder Cup is absolutely outstanding. He’s a player that will no doubt go on to make many more appearances in the Ryder Cup and it was a very, very, very difficult call for me to make but one I had to do in the interests of the European team.”

Meanwhile, Molinari has been the in-form player on the European circuit. However, he did not make the grade and McGinley praised him for accepting the decision with grace.

“Francesco Molinari was a really serious contender,” added McGinley.

“We gave him a lot of thought, a lot of consideration and again, just like Luke, incredibly humble and incredibly accepting of my decision on the phone even though it was a difficult call to make.

“I could not have asked two guys to accept the decision in a better way and I think it speaks volumes about them not just as golfers but as people as well.”

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