Not since the famed Miracle at Medinah in 2012 has a European team emerged victorious in the intimidating Ryder Cup realm of the United States. Worldwide Golf looks ahead to the mouthwatering Bethpage Black clash with Europe’s heroic returning Captain, Luke Donald.
“Over the next three days, we will play for far more than ourselves. We play for the spirit of unity that binds this team. And for the future generation of golfers that will look back on this Ryder Cup and find inspiration.”
There perhaps could not have been a grander stage for Team Europe’s Ryder Cup Captain to deliver his now seminal opening speech to the thousands gathered at Rome’s Marco Simone Golf Club two years ago.
With the iconic backdrop of the Eternal City silhouetted behind, Luke Donald addressed his gladiatorial dozen of chosen players and a fervent crowd of thousands in a manner that would have made an orator like Caesar proud. Even starting by reflecting on the captaincy as ‘the most important moment of my golfing career’, spoken in flawless Italian – much to the rapture of the gathered locals.
“As the team sitting behind him there, you felt you were one up. Straight away,” said Donald’s then-wildcard pick Shane Lowry, seemingly echoing a sentiment felt by his fellow Ryder Cup team members, all following their Captain into battle for the first time.
And, having successfully vanquished a much-fancied US team on that glorious weekend in Rome, the giddy, hopeful chants of ‘TWO MORE YEARS!’ echoing around Marco Simone on Sunday’s aftermath, a mere few months later, were answered.
November saw Donald announced as the people’s choice to lead Europe once again, this time in pursuit of both a Ryder Cup defence and a first win on US soil since 2012’s Miracle in Medinah – a historic win that the former world number one himself played an instrumental part in.
Yet, as important as the result that Team Europe managed to achieve in Italy on the course, it is the manner in which it was done off it that also endures, particularly in the hearts and minds of those involved. This alludes largely to Donald’s tireless efforts to harness a team culture that was (and still is) predicated as much on warmth and belonging as it is on winning.
“This unique feeling of a ‘one family’ culture of Team Europe has been instrumental to our success,” Donald explained to Worldwide Golf in January.
It is exactly this collective recognition of ‘what has come before you’ that has become one of the hallmarks of Donald’s captaincy – as has his powerful refrain about the importance of the legacy that these players leave behind when pulling on that storied European shirt.
“This culture has been forged over many years, passed down from generation to generation, underpinned by our ethos that the Ryder Cup is about being part of something bigger than yourself.
In Europe’s carefully curated changing rooms in the Marco Simona Golf Club in 2023, this mantra reverberated throughout the space. From an evocative portrait of Seve Ballesteros emblazoned on exit for players heading out to the first tee, across to the name of every single Ryder Cup European player enshrined along an entire wall, sitting next to immortal quotes from previous winners (including Jose Maria’s Olazabal’s beautifully phrased “All men die, but not all men live…this week you have made me live again”) from tournaments past.
And, if this wasn’t galvanising enough for those 12 players heading out to sporting war, next to each of his team members’ shirts in the dressing room, Donald had placed the inscription ‘This is Your Time’ written in each of their native languages.
In a sport where so little can separate the exceptional level of talent of its on-field competitors, it is sometimes these inspirational flourishes hidden away from greens and fairways that can conjure an all-important mental advantage.
And heading into the hostile, partisan environment of Bethpage Black, Team Europe – for all its eminent star prowess – will need every advantage they can get.
So who makes Luke’s Diamond Dozen?
With less than a month to go until the 45th Ryder Cup, Luke Donald could arguably not have really envisaged a better outlook for his choice of picks, both from the already confirmed qualified players and those (at the time of writing) left for him still to select.
“We’ve had many, many performances in recent weeks where I feel like every time I turn on the TV, there’s a bunch of good, strong European players contending,” affirms Donald, speaking at the British Masters last month.
“I am very pleased. The top five who have already qualified all were in Rome. There’s a bunch of other guys that are playing very well, high up on the points list. So I’m very happy with the way things are going.”
The already-qualified quintet to which Donald refers is that of Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, and Tyrrell Hatton. An impressive opening shortlist given any time or context, but all the more encouraging given their respective performances in the last six months, particularly on US shores.
Rory McIlroy’s generational feat at The Masters, finally cementing his long-awaited but rightful place in the pantheon of golf’s career Grand Slam winners. Justin Rose rolling back the years for his 12th PGA title at the St Jude Championship, his first in two years (as well as an agonising Masters runner-up spot at the hands of teammate Rory). Tyrrell Hatton, having started the year with a marquee victory at the Dubai Desert Classic in January, has been quietly building on last year’s individual LIV title success with a team victory in Michigan last month, alongside a 14th and 4th place finish at the Masters and US Open, respectively.
And in what was arguably the most heartwarming golfing story of the year, Tommy Fleetwood (one of the most popular faces on the Tour, no matter where your national allegiance lies) finally claimed his first-ever PGA title. After 164 tour starts, smaller men would have crumbled with the amount of agonising near misses Tommy has endured recently. But the Southport native’s stoic attitude has remained undimmed, getting over the line in some style last month by winning the Tour Championship and, in turn, securing the coveted 2025 FedEx Cup.
Finally, already on the team sheet is Robert MacIntyre, the young Scot who started his career on the MENA tour and turned debutant in Donald’s 2023 Ryder Cup squad, who will feel immensely satisfied with his 2025 season, despite no wins this year. However, of his 23 starts on the US circuit, he only missed two cuts. A superb level of consistency that has led to two second-place finishes, six top tens and 11 top 25s.
“You look at his stats; out of the 12 guys, statistically in Rome he was one of the weakest, and now he is one of the strongest. He has improved by leaps and bounds,” states an obviously proud Donald.
“You can see it in his game and in the belief he has in himself. It’s just really nice to see the Ryder Cup potentially have that effect, getting him to kick on and take his game to the next level.
Indeed, if momentum is the currency of competition, then Donald should be feeling rightfully flushed with his guaranteed picks right now.
Of course, with final picks being made on September 1st – by the time you’re reading this, the selection of Team Europe will be complete. But, as we stand, the expected list is as strong as it is familiar.
Since Luke Donald spoke to gathered press at the British Masters at the end of August, Rasmus Hojgaard has now cemented his place, making his Ryder Cup debut two years after his brother’s inaugural appearance in Rome. In doing so, leapfrogging Shane Lowry to the final automatic spot.
However, the Irishman remains a strong favourite for the Captain’s pick, alongside his 2023 European teammates and fellow PGA Tour competitors, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, Sepp Straka and Matt Fitzpatrick.
And then there is Jon Rahm, who, despite not recording a single individual win on the LIV Tour in 2025, still won the season-long prize for the second year in a row.
It is hard to look past a player of Rahm’s obvious pedigree, particularly when you consider the Spaniard’s solid Ryder Cup scoring record and level of tournament passion that would make even his effervescent fellow countryman Seve Ballesteros proud. As such, it’s hard not to consider the two-time major champion as a shoo-in for Donald’s final European team sheet heading to New York.
So, does Captain Luke think that going with a very similar selection to his 2023 team is an advantage?
“Well, I would say we formed a good group of guys and bonded. We shared something very special, and those memories will kind of always be with us, and you can feed off those for sure. Having some continuity is good, but also having fresh blood, having rookies…that could be good, too.”
Where rookies are indeed concerned, Donald is equally conscious of the delicate and unpredictable balance of unleashing a hungry young talent on such a stage to great effect versus the drawbacks of possibly making the wrong call, maybe to both the team and, even more importantly, the individual player’s detriment.
“I think sometimes you see players that play in the Ryder Cup, and they are not really ready, and it probably has a negative effect on them.”
But whatever his final pick is, lack of solid options is fortunately not one of the returning captain’s problems.
“Even though it’s a headache for me in terms of how many players are giving themselves a chance, it’s really a good headache…” concedes Donald with a grin.
And finally, following their success in Rome, Donald has once again turned to his trusted and talismanic consiglieri of Thomas Bjørn, José María Olazábal, Francesco Molinari and Eduardo Molinari as his tournament Vice Captains. All expected to bring their own individual dose of tournament insight and sprinkles of magic, from backroom pep talks to motivational buggy rides. And most importantly…that priceless knowledge of how to consistently win in one of sport’s toughest arenas.
The Preparation
Beyond establishing that nigh-impossible alchemy of the right 12 players and backroom staff to guarantee victory in the Ryder Cup comes the issue of adequate preparation in an already packed golfing season.
And while nothing can really ever mimic the intensity, drama and high stakes of such a fiercely fought and storied contest, in the Team Cup in Abu Dhabi (formerly the Hero Cup) we have a competition that offers some invaluable team match play experience to potential Team Europe contenders.
“The tournament gives me the opportunity to spend time with these players and embed them into the ‘one family’ culture, even if they ultimately do not go on to represent Team Europe in September,” Donald told Worldwide Golf ahead of this year’s Abu Dhabi tournament. “While my goal is to win in New York, it’s also to build a foundation for players to make future Ryder Cup Teams.”
With teams competing in match play across one session of fourballs on the Friday, two sessions of foursomes on the Saturday and one session of singles on the Sunday, this year’s competition was won by Team GB&I, led by Europe Ryder Cup stalwart and 2025 team member Justin Rose. Tommy Fleetwood even claimed the team’s winning point, as he did at Marco Simone less than 18 months earlier.
Looking toward the Battle of Bethpage Black
Any Ryder Cup on American soil represents an intimidating challenge, no matter the strength of the visiting team. And in Bethpage Black, that team faces one of the most difficult golf courses in the game. A long course made for the biggest hitters, this year deliberately set up by the Americans to suit Keegan Bradley’s chosen players.
It would also be remiss to overlook the obvious and historical benefit home advantage has proven over the years, on both sides of the pond.
Naturally, for all the obvious quality that Team USA has in its ranks, any lineup that boasts the number one player on the planet, the seemingly unstoppable Scottie Scheffler, should be treated with the utmost caution and respect.
But despite Team Europe’s relatively meagre record of victories over the Atlantic (four in total), there is undoubtedly much for them to be hopeful for as we head into this tantalising 45th iteration of the Ryder Cup competition.
The selection at Captain Luke Donald’s disposal is an enviable one. A mix of battle-hardened winners who’ve tasted victory at the highest echelons of the sport, blended with the infectious potential and prowess of the game’s brightest young stars.
The fact that the majority of these European team’s members head to the US, not only having tasted Ryder Cup success before but having enjoyed it so recently together… is also a hugely compelling prospect.
For the man tasked with the job of overseeing this victory, it represents a wholly different challenge than even two years ago. An inescapable fact that the assured, considered mind of Luke Donald is, of course, all too aware.
“I’ve had conversations with certain players already to just kind of mentally get them ready for that cauldron. That’s something I’ve been thinking about since day one of the captaincy.” Donald said in the weeks before confirming his team.
“Away Ryder Cups are different. They are a different pressure. They are a different atmosphere.”
Taking on a Ryder Cup captaincy for the second time, no matter the significance of a prior success, is not for the faint-hearted. Not since Bernard Gallacher took the helm in the cups of 1991, 93 and 95 has a player returned to lead Team Europe’s charge in consecutive tournaments. Captains of past have talked about quitting while they are ahead, or not wanting to undo the good work of before. Anyone who even vaguely appreciates the ecstasy or agony of winning or losing such a tournament can probably sympathise with such an attitude.
But for this particular returning captain, if the crown does indeed lie heavy, Luke Donald’s shoulders certainly aren’t showing the strain.
Still embodying that measured demeanour and quiet confidence that he has now become so renowned for, he stated last week: “I’ve had a little bit longer with my captaincy to think things through. It hasn’t seemed quite as rushed as with the last one… but I feel very comfortable with where we are, and I feel we’ll be prepared for the championship.”
In his opening address in Rome in 2023, Luke Donald urged his Ryder Cup team to go out there and to write their own history.
Come the 26th of September, you can be sure that his European Team will once again have their pens firmly at the ready.
