A former beauty pageant contestant, the daughter of an ex-tennis professional and the wife who is her husband's agent - meet the WAGs behind Team Europe at the Ryder Cup

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The golfing world will come to a standstill this weekend when all eyes turn to New York and the Bethpage Black Golf Course for the Ryder Cup.

The 45th edition of this biennial showpiece sees Team Europe looking to retain the trophy they won in sublime fashion in Rome two years ago.

Winning captain from 2023 Luke Donald is back in the role and has named their least changed team in Ryder Cup history for this month's contest.

Rasmus Hojgaard is the only new player - and replaces his twin brother Nicolai - having qualified through the ranking system.

He joins Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Tyrrell Hatton as the six automatically qualified picks. Joining them as Donald's wildcard selections are Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, who all played in the 16.5-11.5 victory in Rome.

But what about the partners behind the 12-man team? Daily Mail Sport takes a look at those loved one...

Team Europe are looking to retain their Ryder Cup this weekend at Bethpage Black in New York

Captain Luke Donald, the players and the majority of their partners pose for a pic on Tuesday

Emily Braisher (Tyrell Hatton)

Braisher is fully immersed into the golf world having followed husband Hatton around on tour since graduating from Nottingham Trent University in the summer of 2020 - documenting moments on her 'Wife on Tour' blog.

She is accustomed to the Ryder Cup, having been photographed with Hatton during Europe's victory in 2018 at Le Golf National in Paris.

In December 2019, the couple got engaged and tied the knot in 2021 in Asheville, North Carolina but encountered issues when Hatton arrived 30 minutes late. This was made worse when poor weather stopped plans for a scenic hike and photoshoot.

Reflecting on that incident, Hatton told the Golf Channel: 'It was funny… the day wasn't very smooth.

'Our driver turned up an hour late, so that meant we arrived half an hour late for our ceremony, and then because we wanted it in the Blue Ridge Parkway, and we wanted to hike up and have some nice pictures.

'Unfortunately, after finishing the ceremony, it absolutely p***ed down with rain, and we then had to drive like two miles down the road, pulled over in a lay by, and we had our wedding pictures on the side of the road.

'So, yeah, not quite as magical as you'd plan it, I guess, but it was still pretty special.'

Tyrell Hatton and his wife Emily Braisher kiss after he won the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational

The duo's wedding ceremony was a stressful one with Hatton late due to his driver being late

Kelley Cahill (Jon Rahm)

Cahill and Rahm met after both attending the same Halloween party during their freshman year at Arizona State University in 2012 with the former dressed as a referee and the latter wearing a SWAT team uniform.

Rahm was studying in America on a golf scholarship and the pair soon began dating. Fast-forward to December 2019 and they were married in his hometown of Bilbao, with Rahm having designed the engagement ring himself for Cahill.

The happy couple have three children together called Kepa, Eneko, and Alaia - with the kids all having 'Cahill' as a middle name.

Jon Rahm and his wife Kelley Cahill met in freshman year at Arizona State University in 2012

The happy couple now have three children together called Kepa, Eneko, and Alaia

Clare Craig (Tommy Fleetwood)

This relationship goes beyond just love with Craig also Fleetwood's agent. According to reports they met through Tommy's brother, Joe who worked with Craig at Hambric Sports Management.

Their relationship was a working one in 2015 but blossomed into a relationship that year, with the pair finding a happy medium between their work and personal lives. Although Fleetwood was initially rejected due to the 23-year age gap between them he, now 34, and Craig, now 57.

They married in 2017 and had a son in the same year, called Franklin. Craig also has two boys from a previous partnership - who have all came to support him at various tournaments.

Tommy Fleetwood has a working relationship also with his wife Clare Craig - who is his agent

Paige Dean (Sepp Straka)

A trained accountant who now works in acquisitions, Dean met Straka during their days at university. Straka was playing college golf for the University of Georgia against Auburn University, where Dean was studying - with the pair meeting through mutual friends.

In 2020, Straka proposed to Dean in a wine bar in Birmingham, Alabama - with the couple getting hitched a year later.

And two years later they became a family when their son Leo was born. 

Paige Dean and husband Sepp Straka met while at rival universities through mutual friends

Katherine Gaal (Matt Fitzpatrick)

Born around two hours away from Bethpage Black, Gaal will be rooting for Team Europe and her husband Fitzpatrick.

A double major graduate from Pennsylvania State University in finance and broadcast journalism, Gaal also finished as a runner-up in the Miss New Jersey USA pageant in 2013.

Leaving pageantry behind, she is currently a regional marketing manager at data protection and data management software company Commvault.

It's unclear how or when they first met, but Gaal first appeared on Fitzpatrick's social media at the start of 2023 in Hawaii at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

In September that year they were engaged and are approaching their one-year wedding anniversary having tied the knot in October last year.

Katherine Gaal finished as a runner-up in the Miss New Jersey USA pageant in 2013

Married to Matt Fitzpatrick, the duo will be celebrating their one-year anniversary next month

Shannon Hartley (Robert MacIntyre)

Not much is known about Hartley with her and MacIntyre's relationship rarely displayed on social media.

As a result, it is unclear when they started a relationship together -  but she was spotted with him during the 2023 Open at Royal Liverpool and was present during his Ryder Cup debut in Rome months later.

In support of her boyfriend she relocated to the United States as he began his journey on the PGA Tour, something MacInyre admitted was difficult for both due to home-sickness.

'It's no secret I've been living in America. It's been tough. It's not like Oban,' he told BBC Sport last year. 

'When I go back home, it's a lot of friends and family you get to spend time with - everyone that's close to me and really cares for me.

'When I'm in America, it's just me, my girlfriend, and we're trying to live as good a life as we can. But it's difficult when we're both so close to family and friends.

'I got three weeks at home there and hardly touched the golf clubs, done some stupid stuff and just enjoyed myself.'

Shannon Hartley's relationship with Robert MacIntyre is kept very lowkey on social media

Wendy Honner (Shane Lowry)

Honner is a former nurse at Children's Health Ireland in Dublin, having left her post in 2016. That same year she and Lowry, who met on a night out in 2012, got married in New York City and now reside in South Florida. 

They have two children together in daughters Iris (born in 2017) and Ivy (born in 2021).

Despite their relocation the family still have a house in Dublin, with Lowry keen to ensure that the children have Irish summers there. 

Wendy Honner met husband Shane Lowry on a night out in 2012 and they now have two kids

Olivia Peet (Ludvig Aberg)

Like many of his European team-mates Aberg met his partner through the US university system. Manchester-born Peet, who is the daughter of former tennis professional Chris, was playing collegiate tennis for Texas Tech.

A freelance tennis coach, she is also an associate director of the Athletics Annual Fund/Premium Seating at her old university now.

Like Hartley and MacIntrye, it is unknown when they first started dating but they came to the fore publicly as a couple at 2023 Ryder Cup.

They now share a home together in Ponte Vedra, Florida.

Olivia Peet is the daughter of ex-tennis professional David who met Ludvig Aberg while at uni

Kate Phillips (Justin Rose)

The longest relationship of the playing team is Phillips and Rose - who first met in 2000. Phillips was an employee at PR company IMG at the time, while Rose was a client there.

Six years later they got married and have two children together: son Leo, born in 2009, and daughter Charlotte, known as Lottie, born in 2012.

As well as raising a family together, the couple launched the Kate and Justin Rose Foundation in 2009 to support children living in poverty in Central Florida.

Even though she may not be on the golf course all the time supporting Rose, the Englishman ensures his wife is there in spirit in a novel way by playing with the No 99 on his golf balls - because No 9 is her favourite number. He made it 99 to double the luck.

Kate Phillips initially met Justin Rose in 2000 through their connections at PR company IMG

In 2009 the married couple launched the Kate and Justin Rose Foundation to support children living in poverty in Central Florida

Julie Sander Danielsen (Rasmus Hojgaard)

Of the relationships documented, this is arguably the most guarded with it unclear when or how they met - however, pictures of the pair together on Instagram do stretch back to 2019.

Like Hojgaard, Sander Danielsen is also Danish and is reportedly based in Aarhus, the country’s second-largest city.

She has been pictured celebrating her partner's success on the fairways before such as when he won the Danish Golf Championship in Copenhagen in 2023.

Julie Sander Danielsen's relationship with Rasmus Hojgaard is arguably the most guarded one from Team Europe with it unclear when or how they met

Erica Stoll (Rory McIlroy)

This relationship has been in the public eye for over a decade since they first met in 2012, when Stoll was working as manager of championship volunteer operations for the PGA at the Ryder Cup - however, they didn't begin dating until two years later.

They got married in 2018 and two years later their daughter Poppy was born.

However, last year proved to be a highly-publicised an up-and-down year for the couple - that saw a marriage separation at one point, with McIlroy filing for divorce.

The golf star later U-turned in his decision, stating they had 'resolved their differences' and were looking forward to a 'new beginning'.

The reversal came just ahead of the US Open last June, a month after the divorce papers were initially filed. After this year's tournament, the McIlroy family are expected to make major step of relocating to their new Wentworth home.

McIlroy and Stoll have been living in a £16.5million mansion in Jupiter, Florida, since buying the property from fellow golfer Ernie Els back in 2017. However, they are set to move to a Wentworth property McIlroy bought in 2023 and has since reportedly spent £9m on developing.

Erica Stoll and Rory McIlroy's highly-publicised marriage has been up and down in recent years

However, the couple are once again a family unit with their daughter Poppy in tow

And what about Viktor Hovland?

As present, Hovland is reportedly single. That was the case in Rome too where he famously took a photo with all of his team-mates' wives at the end of Europe's success.

Viktor Hovland's photo with all the Team Europe WAGs at the 2023 Ryder Cup remains iconic

In 2023 fans were delighted to unearth the Norwegian golf star dating profile on Tinder 

He shared pictures posing with trophies including the Dubai Desert Classic (left) and the BMW International 

Just before that tournament too, Hovland's Tinder profile surfaced online when a fan captured the carousel of photographs Hovland selected for his profile, which include notable wins as well as off-duty snaps.

One picture showed him with the Dubai Desert Classic trophy, which he won in January 2022 and cemented his rise to World No 3, his highest-ever ranking.

Another saw Hovland hoisting the BMW International trophy aloft, following his 2021 history-making victory which saw him become the first Norwegian player to win on the European Tour.

Hovland also included a brief, notably understated description - in Norwegian - calling himself 'a simple boy from Ekeberg', and the verified blue tick suggested the profile isn't an imposter chancing their arm.

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