Shock additions for Team Europe and Team USA in the Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup 2023 gets underway at the end of September, with Zach Johnson and Luke Donald finalizing their teams for the competition.

The vast majority of wildcard selections pick themselves in both camps, with the blend of youth and experience prevalent in both teams.

Despite the fact most of the teams pick themselves, there have been some shock announcements, leaving fans questioning some selections.

Here are some surprise selections in this year's Ryder Cup.

Although he won the PGA Championship and finished second at The Masters, Brooks Koepka is a surprise addition to Team USA, being the only player in the two teams who competes on the LIV Golf Tour.

The animosity between LIV and the PGA left analysts thinking LIV players wouldn't be selected, but with Koepka's performances in the majors, it's hard to leave the five-time major champion out.

'Super Swede' Ludwig Aberg becomes the first first-year rookie to be selected for a Ryder Cup team after turning professional in June.

Aberg won the European Masters on Sunday and is yet to play in a major championship, but Luke Donald believes Aberg is a 'Generational Player' and is 'up to the challenge' when the tournament rolls around next week.

It seems obvious to have Ryder Cup veteran Justin Thomas in the ranks for Team USA, but after a terrible year on the PGA Tour, Thomas comes as a shock announcement for Zach Johnson's team.

Thomas didn't get enough points to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, missing three cuts in the majors and scoring an 81 at the US Open and 82 at The Open. His experience and passion are the sole reason for his admission.

The admission of Nicolai Hojgaard instead of PGA veteran Adrian Meronk is another surprise on Team Europe's side, but the Dane, who has gone undetected, deserves to be on the team to make his debut.

The 22-year-old has had two back-to-back top-five finishes in his last two events and has been a consistent name at the top of the leaderboards this year.

Other than the four above, the other captains' picks for the teams have been relatively simple, with USA selecting Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Colin Morikawa.

As for Europe, experienced duo Justin Rose and Shane Lowry will be joined by Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, and the other two above to round off the European team.

At the last Ryder Cup in 2021, the Europeans were embarrassed by the Americans, losing 19-9 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

With a fresh look at the European team and the lack of form in the USA side, this year looks set to be one of the closest results in the history of the Ryder Cup.