Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald faces a "good headache" as two players make late surges into wildcard contention for Team Europe's defence at Bethpage Black next month. The skipper specifically highlighted Marco Penge and Harry Hall as the contenders complicating his selection decisions.
Five players have already secured automatic qualification: Rory McIlroy, Bob MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Tyrrell Hatton. Shane Lowry currently holds the sixth automatic spot but can be overtaken by Rasmus Hojgaard with a top-30 finish at this weekend's British Masters.
Two players forcing selection issues
Penge produced an impressive final round victory at the Danish Golf Championship last week, beating qualification rival Hojgaard by one stroke. The 27-year-old Englishman previously secured a superb second-place finish alongside McIlroy at the Scottish Open last month.
Donald said: "Marco [Penge] last week, really tremendous performance, looks very much in control and tough circumstances against a crowd that was. Harry Hall has been playing great."
Hall has qualified for the Tour Championship after not finishing outside the top-30 in 11 straight tournaments since early May. The 28-year-old from Cornwall's consistent run includes performances at two majors plus strong finishes at the Charles Schwab Challenge and Travelers Championship.
Contact clarification needed
Donald clarified recent confusion about his contact with Hall after the player suggested he hadn't heard from the captain recently. The skipper revealed extensive communication dating back to last year.
Donald said: "I think Harry, what he said recently... Certainly I've had many, many conversations with Harry, starting from the end of last year, and invited him to play the Team Cup. He knows exactly where he stands. He knows he's playing well. Absolutely I've been in contact with him. I think his answer got misconstrued."
The captain described his selection dilemma positively: "Even though it's a headache for me in terms of how many players are giving themselves a chance it's really a good headache." Donald faces perhaps golf's biggest challenge - winning the Ryder Cup away from home, achieved only twice in the 21st century.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
