Luke Donald has been confirmed to lead the European team at the Ryder Cup in Bethpage in 2025, following his successful leadership in Rome, with the team and commentators praising his calm demeanor, strong relationships with players, and his ability to perform under pressure.
At Glance
‣ Luke Donald is confirmed to lead the European team in the Ryder Cup at Bethpage in 2025. This decision comes after Donald’s successful leadership in Rome.
‣ Winning an away Ryder Cup is considered a significant achievement in golf, and the European team will face a challenging atmosphere in New York, particularly with the fervent crowds.
‣ Continuity is seen as key for the upcoming Ryder Cup, with Donald’s established relationships and knowledge of his players’ performance under pressure being valuable assets.
‣ Despite potential risks, Donald’s successful track record in Ryder Cups, both as a player and a captain, is seen as a significant advantage for the European team.
"We will see what happens in the future…" 👀
Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald on whether he will stay in his role to lead out the team for next years competition ⛳🏆
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews)
“Two more years!” That’s what the European players were chanting as they reveled in their Ryder Cup triumph in Rome. They were spot on, as Luke Donald was confirmed to lead them at Bethpage in 2025.
When Donald stepped in to replace Henrik Stenson, it was a solid, albeit unspectacular move. But boy, did he prove his worth in Rome. The European team seemed to hang on his every word.
Winning on the road is a real test, let’s not kid ourselves. The home side has won the last five Ryder Cups with relative ease, even setting a couple of records along the way. Rory McIlroy put it best when he said, “I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup. And that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.”
His confidence is admirable, but Europe will have a huge fight on their hands. They’ll have to survive the feverish New York crowds and somehow win in America. If they’re to stand any chance, they only had one option – keep Donald at the helm.
Why is it the right move, you ask? Well, the players love him. Bernard Gallacher was the last man to captain Europe in successive Ryder Cups when he did his third in a row in 1995. But now, it’s the perfect time for back-to-back skippers.
“I think everyone sitting here would be very happy to have him again,” said McIlroy. You have to factor what the players want in all this. An away Ryder Cup is a different beast than playing at home. You need every advantage you can muster.
Donald has built up relationships, created memories, and earned the trust of the younger players. All of this will be worth its weight in gold in the heat of battle on the road.
Donald will have learned how his players perform under pressure. He’ll have learned a thing or two about himself too. Who knows, he may be even better second time around!
The New York fan factor is another thing to consider. If the crowd got a bit spicy at Marco Simone, it’ll seem like playground stuff compared to the well-oiled American fans out in the Long Island sun at Bethpage. It’ll be loud, spiky, and downright nasty at times too.
In that white-hot atmosphere, who else would you want than cool hand Luke? He’s spent enough time in the USA to know how to get on the right side of the fans. There can’t be too many people with a bad word to say about him. He’s about as far from a divisive figure as you could get. His cool, calm and collected demeanour is just what Europe need in that cauldron of an atmosphere.
Who else is there? Continuity is key in this situation. Bethpage and New York is no ordinary away game, especially after what happened with Joe LaCava and Patrick Cantlay in Rome. The USA side will be stoking the crowd up every chance they get. It’s just not the time and place for a newcomer like Edoardo Molinari or his brother Francesco to thrive.
And let’s not forget the LIV Golf players cast aside by Europe, with Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood all nailed-on captains over the next few editions before they resigned their DP World Tour memberships. Will they be allowed back in? Maybe, and in the long-term that could be a good thing.
But Europe’s unit performed so well that having an entirely new team in place may cause more problems than solutions. If there’s any lingering issues with the likes of McIlroy and co. then that won’t help matters either. If those players are to come back in the fold then it’d be best in maybe a back room capacity in the USA before getting more involved back in Europe.
Europe’s succession planning has always been spot-on but losing the LIV guys has left a gap. Donald serving a four-year term is the answer to filling that void, while giving Europe the best chance of success. It’s a perfect storm.
He got everything right in Rome. Perhaps the best reason of all – he’s just a damn good captain! He did just about everything right in Rome and although captains can’t win a Ryder Cup they can lose it by making the wrong decisions.
From his wildcard picks to his pairings, his format switch to his team room messages, from his choice of outfits to that surprisingly impressive speech – Italian and all! Starting with foursomes worked a treat while one of his pairings produced a record 18-hole Ryder Cup match victory – over the world No.1 and a five-time Major champion no less.
Quietly confident was his demeanour but there was an inner steel that bubbled under the surface, especially when dealing with the McIlroy incident, that showed he’s not one to mess with. He was prepared for everything, despite essentially being a stand-in, and he really “gets it” when it comes to the Ryder Cup – and made sure his players bought in to everything. After that performance, who wouldn’t want him to run it back?
Donald doesn’t know how to lose Ryder Cups. He won all four Ryder Cups he played in and his one (so far) as captain. He was also a vice-captain in Paris and Whistling Straits so went 1-1 in that role but it’s the major ones that count.
As a player and captain he doesn’t know how to lose, some people just have that magic touch and nowhere will it be needed more than at Bethpage against a hurt USA side eager for revenge. And remember Donald had to replace Stenson so he was probably in the mix for this Ryder Cup anyway (along with the LIV trio). There must be an advantage to having that level of comfort entering the job, getting almost a head start on whoever captains the USA next time.
Is it a risk? Of course, but his legacy is safe after Rome, and if Europe are to buck this trend of heavy away defeats then Luke Donald is the man they need at the helm.
