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Luke Donald hints at LIV stars' Ryder Cup omission as he calls for youth over experience

Luke Donald has strongly hinted that Europe's experienced LIV golf contingent will not be selected in his Ryder Cup team for next year.

This includes the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey - all of whom have been reliable Ryder Cup performers in the past but now look set to get the axe due to their association with the breakaway golf circuit.

While Donald was quick to stress that he is looking for youth over experience to help usher in a new era for Europe's Ryder Cup team, it seems likely that the veterans' LIV Golf associations are also informing his decision.

Speaking to the 5 Clubs Podcast, Donald said the upcoming Hero Cup teams are a good marker of where he's at in terms of Ryder Cup selection. Notably, none of the LIV players have made the cut.

That likely means there will be no place for Westwood, Poulter, Garcia, Casey, or the likes of Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer.
"You can get a little bit of an idea from the Hero Cup that's coming up," Donald said.
"First of all it's a great opportunity to get some younger guys into the team room, playing together and seeing how they bond. This is an important step to bring a matchplay event back to the European schedule.
"There are some great young players. I'm very excited about some of the core players who have started playing well again but there's a new generation of players who are hungry to make that Ryder Cup."
Donald explained that the US Team's decision to go younger at Whistling Straits last year seemed to pay immediate dividends, and that Europe was starting to go through a similar process.
"The US team have had a shift where they have gone with younger players with less scar tissue; guys that seem to get on very well. Europe is starting to go through a similar shift," he said.
"A lot of the guys who have been stalwarts are coming towards the end of their careers. I'm not saying they don't have opportunities to make further Ryder Cups, but it's becoming less and less likely so we need some of these younger guys to step up and fill some of those holes."
Despite the absence of the Ryder Cup veterans, Europe will still be able to rely on its headliners Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood also look like nailed-on certainties to make the team in Italy next year, while the likes of Matt Wallace, Jordan Smith, Victor Perez, Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard, Sepp Straka, Guido Migliozzi, Thomas Detry, Adrian Meronk, Robert MacIntyre and Seamus Power all have a chance of getting the nod as well.

HERO CUP TEAMS

CONTINENTAL EUROPE

Francesco Molinari (C)

Thomas Detry

Rasmus Hojgaard

Adrian Meronk

Guido Migliozzi

Alex Noren

Victor Perez

Thomas Pieters

Sepp Straka

Player TBC

GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

Tommy Fleetwood (C)

Ewen Ferguson

Tyrrell Hatton

Shane Lowry

Robert MacIntyre

Séamus Power

Callum Shinkwin

Jordan Smith

Matt Wallace

Player TBC

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