Lowry gets wildcard nod for Ryder Cup

Offaly's Shane Lowry will compete in the Ryder Cup later this month after being named as one of six wildcards by the European captain Luke Donald.

It will be the Clara man's second time to have the honour of representing Europe in the prestigious golf tournament.

Having missed the cut at the Czech Masters last week, Lowry missed out on automatic qualification - but he was still expected to be selected by Donald as one of his wildcard picks to compete in Rome.

In the 2021 Ryder Cup, Lowry won one point from three matches as the United States defeated Europe 19-9 at Whistling Straits.

The other European wildcard selections for this year are Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Nicolai Højgaard and Ludvig Aberg.

"I'm incredibly proud and grateful, and very excited for Rome," Lowry said after his place was confirmed.

"The last one hurt a little bit, and I’m excited for a home Ryder Cup. I’m very grateful that Luke has given me the opportunity to go there and show what I can do again."

And speaking about what Lowry can bring to the team, Donald said: "We know he’s a big-time player. He’s won an Open Championship, he’s won at Wentworth. On those big occasions against the best players, he turns up in those moments."

Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Robert MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm claimed the automatic slots on the European team. Preparations will now crank up a gear as Europe prepare to take on their American rivals.