We’re just a couple of weeks away from the 2025 edition of the Ryder Cup, and fans can hardly wait for the competition to return.
Team Europe, led by captain Luke Donald, are deep in their preparations this week at Wentworth, home of the BMW Championship, where 11 of the 12 team members are teeing it up and fine-tuning their games.
Donald is facing a determined but wounded Team USA side, after they were decisively swept aside two years ago in Rome, and they have a new look about them with captain Keegan Bradley ready to rally his troops after he opted against including himself in the side.
Donald was speaking to the media on Wednesday morning as the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, and Tommy Fleetwood were limbering up for this weekend. Here are the key takeaways from his press conference as Ryder Cup preparations kick up a notch.
Luke Donald says his Ryder Cup pairings are not ‘set in stone’
After their meticulous preparation for the 2023 edition in Rome, many expect some of the pairings at Wentworth this weekend to reflect this year’s strategy from Donald and his co-captains.
However, he was keen to emphasise that any suggested pairings are not finalised yet, saying: “Will you get an idea of my pairings? Well, you can read into it however you want.
“There will be lots of different groups, different pairings playing together. Again, these things are never set in stone.
“We always have a plan in place and another plan if things go in a different direction, so we will try and have a lot of options for the week.”
The likes of McIlroy and Fleetwood, an effective pairing from two years ago, aren’t paired up yet, for example. This could be a nod to some changes on the eventual tee sheet from Donald.
Continuity is a boost for Team Europe as Bob MacIntyre shines
Donald was full of praise for Bob MacIntyre, who was a rookie in 2023 but has since evolved into an elite-level player, competing in majors and big-money events.
The side that will reassemble in New York has just one alteration as Rasmus Hojgaard replaces his twin Nicolai.
The captain reckons his improvements will give him flexibility in his strategy and could see the Obanite teeing it up in the foursomes.
“It is two years since Rome, and so I am excited about the continuity and having a team that is very similar to Rome. I think that is a massive benefit for us, but players change.
“Look at someone like Bob (Robert MacIntyre). He has become a much better player in the last two years.
“I didn’t see a similar option for foursomes, but potential there is this time around because of the way he plays the game now.”
MacIntyre was paired with Justin Rose last time out, but it seems there’s now a chance that the Scot could be tasked with leading the charge himself alongside another young gun.
‘Crowd management’ key for wary Luke Donald
An away Ryder Cup is always a daunting prospect to prepare for, and despite Donald’s experience as a winning captain for the home side, he will have had a ton of extra work to sift through in the build-up this year.
“This is a different challenge [at Bethpage],” he said.
“Some of our advantages from Rome are certainly not advantages anymore. Again, a lot of my thinking revolves around crowd management and how we react as a team.”
The rowdy New York crowd will be riled up and ready to taunt the Europeans just as heartily as they will be to cheer on the Red, White, and Blue; that’s for sure.
Making sure all members of Team Europe are equipped to deal with all of the external noise is a key task for which Donald must find a solution.
Ryder Cup self-reflection will make Luke Donald a better captain
Donald was drafted in later in the process for the 2023 competition after Swede Henrik Stenson was stripped of the captaincy due to his move to LIV.
Despite having less time than usual to prepare, Donald was praised for his time in charge, as evidenced by the decision to award it to him again for this year.
He reckons his past experience has given him plenty of insight into what needs to be improved this time, too.
He said: “I try to approach this in a little bit of a different way in terms of communication amongst the players.
“Instead of just wait until the team is formed and then sort of get my messaging across, that process started 15 months ago.
“So again, those are probably the things that I felt like could be improved from Rome, and hopefully they will see some good results.”
If Donald can extract even more efficiency from his captaincy for this year’s tournament, Europe will be a formidable force for Team USA to try to stop.