Luke Donald greeted as Europe’s best Ryder Cup captain ever

The pressure has already been set up on Europe’s two-time Ryder Cup-winning captain Luke Donald to agree with a third stint in the track for the home leg of 2027 in Ireland. Image Courtesy Ryder Cup Europe/X.

A correspondent

Farmingdale, New York: “Unbelievable”, “dedicated”, “Great”, “the greatest captain who has ever lived”.

Those were the praise praised on double captain Luke Donald by the European players when they won a historic fifth road at Bethpage Black, two years after the victory in Rome.

Although it was by no means the expected procession to victory on Sunday, Donald reached it and joined Tony Jacklin (1985, 1987) as only the second European captain who achieved back-to-back victories.

It earned him awards of losing American captain Keegan Bradley as the best of all time.

“I went against an incredible team, and you know, in my eyes I think he is the best European Ryder Cup captain of all time,” said Bradley after the 13-15 loss of his team in New York.

“I mean, he won at home and away, and he won a Ryder Cup in New York in Bethpage. I think he is an incredible leader. He is really quiet and I think he was able to get out of his shell, I think, a bit in this Ryder Cup years.

“I think he has made a real power of this team, especially the first two days, and you know, in my eyes I think he’s the best European Ryder Cup captain ever.

“I was really excited to go against him, but I knew it would be difficult to beat him.

Remarkable performance

“He put his team in the best position to win, and that in these two places is a remarkable achievement.”

And it is by no means an accident that a Ryder Cup captain is so meticulous, prepared and successful when Luke Donald is so high.

His popularity was so clear in Rome that calls to ‘two more years’ around the greens of Marco Simone, which means he returns in search of history and helps to grasp the fifth victory of Europe on foreign soil with a margin of 15-13.

When asked in his press conference what is so successful, he was quickly over: “Just have a good 12 boys.”

Those ‘boys’ explicitly suggested differently, with shouts of two more years and “we will see you again in Ireland” by Shane Lowry when he suggested that Donald became a three -time captain at Adare Manor.

Although he refused to answer the question whether he would do that, this is not the first time that this week was said.

“Luke has set the bar for CaptainCy so extremely high. Where he has been part of these four years, is absolutely amazing,” said Rahm after his singles match on Sunday.

“He is so professional, so dedicated, so incredibly meticulously and well organized and do everything he has to do and that is why you have seen the two versions that you have seen from us.

Look forward

“He is the leader of the ship and he certainly led us the right way.

Rahm’s comments are proof of how much his players admire Donald, respect him and just like to play for him.

And the reality is that a lot has been discussed in Donald’s Captainincy who will determine the European blueprint for years.

He was the first to stand on a practice trip, something he did in Rome and repeated in New York.

He embraced statistics with vice-captain Edoardo Molinari, and changed things when he thought it would be useful, such as a switch to playing four signs in the first session in Rome for the first time since 1993.

“I’m going to give a lot of props to Edoardo,” said Donald.

“Edoardo and I sit down and we talk for many, many hours about all the different statistics and the pairs and the personalities and the course fit.”

This year there was the addition of Var -headsets to show players what an atmosphere could be with a New York crowd for the week, and months spent on communication with the players who possibly occur on Bethpage.

He leaned on a theme that returned to Europe’s four previous winnings in different ways.

From wearing tops of those four way victories on the four practice days to an inspiring video entitled Our time, our place And those victories centrally in the team room, the message of players and former captains did the emotional work it was intended.

Clear focus

“Our theme was that we tried to win away for the fifth time. We talked about it at the start of the week. The practical shirts were based on the victories we had already kept away: ’87, ’95, ’04, 2012,” said Donald.

“Everything we did was centered around it, and to give the boys the feeling that we had done it quite often.

“In ten Ryder -cups since ’83 we had won four and we had come close three other times. This was not an impossible task.

“We knew it would be difficult. We wanted to inspire them to know that it could be done. My task is again to give them the reasons to make them believe they can win.”

Due to his own recognition, Donald’s Captainincy and its success are actually only based on one thing: his total dedication to it in all possible sense of the meaning.

His thoughts are digested by trying to come up with any incremental profit that he could possibly give to his team.

This week it meant that blocking light of cracked doors, offering the right snacks and changing the bedding, it proves how detailed he is oriented in pursuing the victory.

“I really committed myself to this job because I feel that I owe it to the players and I owe it to the Ryder Cup that has been so special for me. I had so many incredible experiences,” Donald added.

“I had to put my own game aside, and every day I try to think about things that can help us, come up with different things that might give us a bit ahead.

Brutal atmosphere

“We came to this in New York, and we knew that New York would not be easy. It was rough. It was sometimes brutal there. It was real. It was sometimes filthy.

“But I think that when you prepare these guys enough and you communicate enough with these guys and you give them a plan and an idea and a theme and a motivation, they don’t really motivate them, but you know, the theme causes the coherence of the team.

“My job is literally to give these guys a better chance to win. It can be as simple as some very small things.

“It’s just taking the time and having ensured that you want to do everything you can do to give these guys the best chance. You want to create an environment where they can succeed.

“These are 12 great players, we know that.

And in assessment his players stepped on their praise.

“He is the biggest captain, I think that once lived,” said Lowry

“He is the most amazing man in the world. To be honest, he did the best. Yes, to be honest, I don’t know what to say. To be honest, I am just – don’t know.”

“We were lucky to get an incredible leader in Luke Donald,” added Rory McIlroy.

“He led us through this process and he has been absolutely great. Much of the credit has to go to him. Eleven of the 12 players from Rome came back. We did what we had to do and we are going to celebrate as if there is no morning.”

Another stint like Captain can be on the maps for the Ryder Cup 2027 in Adare Manor, but what is clear is that his estate will change forever how Team Europe is doing.

Bethpage Facts

From Europe’s fast start and dominance over the square and four balls to a spicy fightback from the US, here is an overview of some striking facts and figures IOF Ryder Cup 2025:

• This was the nearest Ryder Cup (2 points) since 2012 when European won 14.5 to 13.5 in Medinah. Each of the last five Ryder cups who entered this year was determined with at least 5 points

• Europe has now won five of the last ten road Ryder Cups, dating from their first in 1987

• Luke Donald is only the second European captain to win back-to-back Ryder Cups and joins Tony Jacklin (1985, 1987)

• The seven -point protagonist Europe who was held after the first four sessions was the biggest on the way to a last day in the modern era

• Europe is the first team to win each of the first four sessions of a Ryder Cup on the road

• Europe is the first team since 1979 to collect at least 11.5 points prior to Singles

• Europe won the cumulative four-ball struggle at a certain Ryder Cup for the first time since 2010 for the first time since 2010

• In the four cushion on Friday, Europe each won from the first three games in a Ryder Cup that was played on American soil for the first time

• The Americans earned 8.5 points in Singles and corresponded to the highest total during the age of 12 singles competitions (since 1979)

• Europe won one singles competition, the least since 1959 when Great -Britain won only one singles won

• McIlroy now has six Ryder Cup victories, one less than the record seven among European players of Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia

• Tyrrell Hatton (3-0-1) and Shane Lowry (1-0-2) were the only players without a loss

• Tommy Fleetwood closed the week as the player who won the most holes with 21

• Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy disputed the first Ryder Cup -Singles match between the number one and two in the official World Golf Ranking

• Fleetwood and Jon Rahm have now won their first six career Ryder Cup Foursomes matches. The only other players who do this are Sergio Garcia (8) and Luke Donald (6)

• Scheffler became the first American player to ever lose a match in each of the first four sessions of a Ryder Cup. (Courtness ryercup.com))

Also read: Europe Complete Fairytale Win as a stunning American Fightback Falls Short

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