Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Spain’s Jon Rahm are the first two Team Europe players confirmed for the Ryder Cup, it was announced Wednesday.
Captain Luke Donald welcomed McIlroy, 34, for a seventh consecutive Ryder Cup appearance. Rahm, 28, will make his third straight Ryder Cup roster.
The 44th Ryder Cup matches against the United States will take place at Italy’s Marco Simone Golf and Country Club from Sept. 29 through Oct. 1.
McIlroy currently leads the European Points List, finishing ninth or better in his past seven showings. Rahm, who begins the FedEx Cup playoffs this week at No. 1, debuted for Team Europe in Paris in 2018.
McIlroy said last September that Team Europe was in “need of a rebuild” and called for a roster overhaul due to players such as Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter defecting to LIV Golf. McIlroy and Garcia patched up their frosty relationship at the U.S. Open in Los Angeles this year.
McIlroy has 12 wins in 24 Ryder Cup matches since debuting in 2010. He has 12 losses, halved four matches and contributed a total of 14 points. Rahm has a total of 4.5 career Ryder Cup points in eight matches.
This story originally appeared on ESPN
