"Everything is okay" Luke Donald's positive update on Sepp Straka for Ryder Cup

European captain Luke Donald has allayed any concerns over Sepp Straka and expects him to be “very motivated” for the Ryder Cup.

Straka was named as one of Donald’s six captain’s picks for Bethpage following an outstanding season on the PGA Tour, winning The American Express and the Truist Championship.

But the 32-year-old, who became the first Austrian to play in the Ryder Cup in Rome two years ago, set alarm bells ringing during the FedExCup Playoffs last month.

Straka withdrew from the BMW Championship due to “personal reasons” and, although he returned for the Tour Championship the following week, he struggled for form at East Lake and finished bottom of the 30-man field on 7-over-par.

He also pulled out of next week’s BMW PGA Championship having previously announced his intention to play, and he will be the only member of Donald’s team absent from Wentworth.

But Donald has revealed that Straka’s wife had given birth prematurely last month, and that the player had given him assurances that he will be fully focused on Europe’s quest to retain the Ryder Cup in New York.

“Everything is okay,” said Donald when asked about Straka’s situation. “I don't think an official announcement has been made, but him and his wife welcomed their baby a few weeks ago, prematurely.

“Everything is going extremely well with their baby, but he just doesn't want to be so far away. I think that's only fair.

“I’ve had many conversations with Sepp. He's very motivated, and he's going to be continuing to work hard on his game. He'll join us for the practice trip, but that's the reason why he won't be at Wentworth.”

One of Donald's top priorities ahead of the contest is to make certain his players are equipped to deal with the partisan New York fans at Bethpage, and he will encourage his team to heed the advice given to them by tennis great Novak Djokovic.

The record-breaking Serbian has often been a target for hostility and intimidation, but he was on hand in Rome two years ago to share his advice on how to silence the crowd.

"Novak was very gracious to come to our team room two years ago in Rome," Donald added. "I think he's someone that's been the best in his sport, the most majors won as a men's professional tennis player, but probably not always the crowd favourite.

"He spoke to us in Rome about some of the ways he deals with that, and I think a lot of the players obviously would have heard that and taken that on board.

"It's just great to have people who have excelled in their sport, that are the best of the best, telling you ways to think about things. You definitely get a different perspective because of that. It's just very gracious of him to give us that information and his time."