The past twelve months have had a little bit of everything: a Grand Slam career, Ryder Cup chaos and much more. With 2026 on the horizon, our writers look back at the most memorable moments from 2025 and explain why they mattered.
No. 15 — The putter motion without torque | No. 14 — ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ takes the golf world by storm | No. 13 — Joaquin Niemann’s big 2025 (and crucial 2026) | No. 12 — JJ Spaun kills Oakmont | No. 11 — The internet invitation | No. 10 — Jeeno Thitikul’s record year | No. 9 — Tiger Woods’ next role | No. 8 — Tommy Fleetwood breaks through | No. 7 — The birth of TGL | No. 6 — Keegan Bradley’s big decision
Biggest golf moments of 2025 No. 5: Europe wins another Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup winning team’s press conference on Sunday evening is always a lively affair – especially when the Europeans are victorious, as they have now done in 11 of the last 15 editions, including at the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black, where they were led by captain Luke Donald for the second time.
Early in the Q&A at Bethpage, a reporter asked no one in particular, “In America we are constantly searching for what makes a good captain. We’re still trying to figure that out. What do you think makes Luke such a good leader of men?”
Jon Rahm gave a vague answer about Donald’s professionalism and attention to detail before the reporter asked if anyone else wanted to give their opinion.
Donald was the first to say, “Just have a good twelve boys.”
To which Rory McIlroy said: “No, it’s more than that. His communication skills…”
That prompted Shane Lowry to interrupt: “…let’s not give it away; how about that?”
“I’ll keep my mouth shut,” McIlroy said, smiling
The point, however, is that the Europeans’ winning formula – for both the captain and the team – is no secret, at least not anymore. They have coherence. They have continuity. And they have a buy-in that brings the guys together in a way that the Americans haven’t been able to copy.
“The badge and the boys,” is how Justin Rose summed up his team’s brotherhood after beating Europe 15-13. “That’s all that matters, honestly.”
This time, the cohesion and continuity part required little fat, as Donald had assembled virtually the same squad he led to victory in Rome in 2023. Of his twelve players at Bethpage, Donald had only one new face: Rasmus Højgaard, who replaced his twin brother Nicolai.
That’s not to say Captain Donald just hit the rinse and repeat button; on the contrary, he used new tactics both large and small.
He consulted with statistics and sleep experts and former Premier League chief Richard Scudamore and Rugby Football Union chief executive Ian Ritchie; he changed the sheets and shampoo in his team’s hotel rooms so they could rest (and smell!) better; he had his players prepare for the talking New York audience with virtual reality headsets; he took his boys to New York almost two weeks before the games so they could get used to the course and environment, while also dialing in his combinations. “The best prepared team I have ever come across,” said former European captain Paul McGinley.
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By means of:
Josh Schrock
Donald explained his preparation this way: “You just take your time and make sure you do everything you can to give these guys the best opportunity. You want to create an environment where they can succeed. These are 12 great players, we know that. You just try to put them in a position where they feel comfortable.”
Earlier this month, a handful of former European Ryder Cuppers – including Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jiminez, Bernhard Langer and Darren Clarke – gathered at a golf club just west of Tampa, Florida, for the second match of the Skechers World Champions Cup, a three-team event featuring the best senior players from the US, Europe and around the world. The tournament had the atmosphere of a fantasy camp: the greats of yesteryear came together again to relive past glories and also make new memories.
The Europeans looked a little grayer and softer than they did twenty or thirty years ago, but the joy they radiated when they were together did not seem to have diminished at all. Ditto the respect they so clearly have for each other. All these years they still looked and felt like one team.
When I asked Clarke, the team captain, about that positive energy, he said: “It’s not that difficult to get a really good bond with the European team. That’s what comes to us. When we went to play Ryder Cups, one of our mantras on the European side was that you park your ego outside on Monday morning and pick it up again the Monday after the Ryder Cup. This team, we have no egos here. We’re all trying to help each other and do the best we can this week do.”
If that message sounds familiar, Donald may have said something similar on that Sunday night at Bethpage: “If I come up with [my players] and say, ‘What do you think about this?’ They say, ‘I trust you, Luke. Let’s get on with it.’ Again, that’s a nice thing to have. It’s nice not to have those big egos in the team room.”
The same will be the case in two years’ time when the Europeans will attempt to defend their title at Adare Manor. There is a good chance that Donald will return for another captaincy and a more than good chance that the core of his team will also remain unchanged.
Why mess with a good thing?
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