Is PGA Tour star Sepp Straka locked in for a European pick?

Luke Donald is a few days away from deciding on his six captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup, but does he have one particularly difficult decision to make?

The common perception is that the European skipper has a much easier task than his American counterpart, Keegan Bradley, when it comes down to finalising his team for next month’s showpiece at Bethpage.

There seems little doubt that Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick are locked in to be named as wildcards when Donald announces his final team on Monday 1 September, but concerns have surfaced over Sepp Straka.

At the start of the month, Straka looked a certainty to make his second Ryder Cup appearance having made his debut in Europe’s convincing victory in Rome two years ago.

The Austrian has had a superb season on the PGA Tour, posting wins at The American Express and the Trust Championship and a further four top-10 finishes that lifted him to third place in the FedExCup standings at the end of the regular season.

In terms of performances, Donald could have mild concerns over Straka’s form in the major championships. He missed the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship and the US Open before stopping the rot at Royal Portrush, although a tie for 52nd is not much to shout about.

Straka, 32, began the FedExCup Playoffs with a solid top 20 at the FedEx St Jude Championship, although he looked out of sorts during the final round at TPC Southwind.

Donald would certainly have been troubled by what happened the next day. Straka withdrew from the BMW Championship due to “personal reasons”, according to a statement issued by his agent.

The statement added that Straka intended to return for the Tour Championship, but he “requests privacy at this time as he attends to a private family matter”. There was no explanation of the circumstances, and that - quite frankly - is none of our business.

But it would have set off alarm bells in the European camp and, although he did tee it up in the season finale at East Lake, Straka’s form was as wayward as his golf ball. He finished bottom of the 30-man field on 7-over par while clearly distracted by whatever was troubling him at home.

A second-round 65 did lift the spirits, but it remains to be seen if Straka’s personal issues will scupper his Ryder Cup chances. A negative mindset is off limits in a team environment, and Donald now has an unexpected spanner in his works.

Of course, Donald will be in regular contact with Straka and he will give him every chance to prove he is fit and ready, both physically and mentally, for the challenge of taking on Team USA in front of the fiercely-patriotic home fans in New York.

The captain has made it known that he is keen to have as many of his successful Rome team as possible playing at Bethpage, and it’s possible that Rasmus Hojgaard replacing his twin-brother, Nicolai, could be the only change in his line-up.

“We had a great group of guys in Rome,” Donald said during last week’s British Masters. “We gelled really well together. We had some great partnerships in there. I'm keeping my eye on everything, but there's good chance there's a lot of continuity from Rome which is only a positive.”

Donald’s comments indicated his desire to resume the team momentum from 2023, and his one difficult decision surrounds Straka, and whether the Austrian is a possible risk to performance and team morale.

Straka will be told to give an honest assessment of his situation, and if he is deemed to be in the wrong frame of mind for one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar, then Donald will turn to a list of candidates that he has filed under “best of the best”.

Alex Noren would have climbed high on that list of alternatives following his brilliant win at The Belfry last week, while Marco Penge has had an impressive season on the DP World Tour and is currently second to Rory McIlroy in the Race to Dubai rankings.

And, if Straka can’t be risked, how about having both Hojgaard brothers in the line-up? Twins have never played in the same Ryder Cup team, and it would be foolish to criticise Donald for making history. He'll want Straka, but he would happily settle for a pair of Hojgaards.

A Ryder Cup legend as a player and captain, Donald's decision-making before, and during, the 2023 showdown was spot on, and I expect him to get all the big decisions right again this year.