Luke Donald gets Ryder Cup boost after Tyrrell Hatton win as hopeful holds off Justin Thomas

Luke Donald had plentifulness to beryllium blessed astir connected Sunday with a 2nd prospective subordinate of his Ryder Cup squad claiming a large triumph aft Tyrrell Hatton's triumph astatine the Dubai Desert Classic

Sunday was a hugely encouraging time for European Ryder Cup skipper Luke Donald, with 2 of his charges claiming large wins successful antithetic corners of the world.

LIV Golf prima Tyrrell Hatton started the time disconnected successful benignant with an impressive triumph astatine the Dubai Desert Classic, holding disconnected a chasing battalion that included satellite No. 3 Rory McIlroy. And things got amended precocious successful the evening arsenic Sepp Straka cruised to triumph astatine The American Express successful California.

The Austrian, a subordinate of Donald's victorious squad successful Rome successful 2023, claimed his 3rd PGA Tour rubric successful the process, finishing astatine 25-under-par, 2 shots wide of Justin Thomas astatine PGA West Pete Dye Stadium Course. Former World No. 1 Jason Day was a changeable further backmost astatine 22-under.

Straka has done overmuch of the enactment implicit the opening 3 days of the tourney – which were played crossed 3 antithetic courses – taking a commanding four-shot pb into his last round. And the 31-year-old ruthlessly took his opportunity, going circular successful two-under-par astatine the overmuch tougher Stadium Course and slamming the doorway connected the remainder of the leaderboard.

Straka's triumph propelled him backmost into the apical 20 successful the Official World Golf Ranking, putting to furniture the frustrations of a winless 2024. But contempt looking chill nether pressure, Straka admitted his tummy was "in a knot" passim the backmost nine.

He added: "Definitely not comfortable. That's rather the opposite. I ne'er truly felt harmless with the pb each day. Charley [Hoffman] was making birdies, Jason [Day] was making birdies, I deliberation Justin [Thomas] was playing good up of us.

"It was tough. I'm gladsome I came retired firing and made immoderate birdies early, due to the fact that if I played adjacent par connected the front, which would person been a beauteous bully score, I deliberation I would person had a one-shot pb going into the back, which would person been a small spot of a antithetic story, truthful those aboriginal birdies were huge."

Prospective members of the European squad person made a beardown commencement to the year, with the likes of Hatton, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood connected the winning broadside for Great Britain and Ireland successful the Team Cup earlier this month. Ludvig Aberg has besides had a top-five decorativeness connected the PGA Tour connected his instrumentality from a four-month wounded absence.

McIlroy had been sluggish by his precocious standards astatine Emirates Golf Club implicit the opening 3 days but went circular successful six-under to springiness himself an extracurricular accidental of victory, lone for Hatton to clasp his nervus and assertion a connection victory. McIlroy, regardless, volition beryllium encouraged by his show successful his archetypal tourney of the season.

Viktor Hovland's continued struggles volition origin Donald concern, though. He and LIV Golf champion Jon Rahm some missed the chopped successful Dubai, but portion the Spaniard has plentifulness of bully results from past play to gully assurance from, Hovland has been retired of sorts since helium won the FedEx Cup successful 2023. Both helium and Donald volition beryllium hopeless for him to find form, and soon.