European Veteran Rips Qualification Process for Ryder Cup Team

Pablo Larrazábal isn’t happy with how the European Ryder Cup team shaped out.

The 42-year-old Spaniard, who has nine DP World Tour victories, sounded off on the current European qualification process to bunkered.co.uk.

“It’s a shame that in the last seven, eight Ryder Cups, no more than five guys playing full schedules on the European (DP World) Tour made the team,” he said. “If you don’t play PGA Tour, you’re not going to play Ryder Cup.

“It’s PGA Tour against DP World Tour and if you have no players that play European Tour, it’s the way they want to see it. I want the best 12 men against the best 12 men, and this is not. It’s a little bit too much.”

This year’s European squad will feature 11 of the same 12 players who competed in Rome two years ago. The only change is Rasmus Hojgaard replacing his twin brother, Nicolai.

A case could be made for several players to be of one of Luke Donald’s six captain’s picks, such as Harry Hall, Matt Wallace and Marco Penge, who is second in the DPWT’s season-long Race to Dubai standings, behind Rory McIlroy.

“I think Marco is a better player than a few of the guys that are there,” Larrazábal said. “He had such a good year. I remember Marco had a three-month suspension in the middle of the qualifier and still finished top 15 (in Ryder Cup points), so he was deserving to play.

“To play in New York, you have to have experience. But I think Marco is top 12 right now of Europeans. You want to have the 12 best men but also the 12 men that are more [in form]. And Marco Penge is one of those guys.”

Larrazábal would like to see changes moving forward with how the team is made.

“At the end of the day, it’s kind of the boys’s club,” he said. “You know, they make their rules, and they want the best team. But I don’t think that’s the best team.

“As a DP World Tour player, I would love more players that play European Tour playing Ryder Cup. But it’s not my choice.”