Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, is set to host its inaugural Ryder Cup.
2025 Ryder Cup
Venue: Bethpage Black, New York Dates: 26-28 September
Coverage: Live text commentary on BBC Sport website
Luke Donald’s continued leadership of the European team marks him as the first repeat captain since Bernard Gallacher in 1995.
The decision to retain 11 of the 12 players who secured victory in Rome two years prior underscores Europe’s commitment to defending the Ryder Cup in what Donald anticipates will be a challenging “bear pit” environment at Bethpage.
All six of Donald’s wildcard selections – Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, and Matt Fitzpatrick – were integral to the 16½-11½ triumph at Marco Simone two years ago.
Rasmus Hojgaard’s automatic qualification for his debut has resulted in the sole team alteration, replacing his twin brother Nicolai. This minimal player rotation is unprecedented in Ryder Cup history.
While Marco Penge’s prodigious hitting, Harry Hall’s exceptional putting, and Matt Wallace’s passion could have been valuable assets, Donald is prioritizing experience for this demanding assignment.
“It is extraordinary, and even more extraordinary that we just switched one brother for another,” Donald remarked to BBC Sport. “We’ve changed one initial from Rome, I never imagined that it would be like that.”
“You usually have people that lose form for whatever reasons and don’t continually play at a very high level, but you have to see that these guys have played at a very high level and really earned their spot on this team.”
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Rasmus Hojgaard is the only new player in Europe team
Donald aims to leverage this continuity to replicate the success that led to the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ in 2012, securing their first away win since then. To achieve this, the captain is preparing his team to navigate an anticipated hostile atmosphere.
“Of course, remembering what we did in Rome is pretty special, having those memories, those feelings, about what we achieved together as a team,” he stated.
“But I want to approach this from a different angle, a different set of eyes in terms of this as a different challenge. This is not going to be what Rome was like.”
“We’re going into the bear pit.”
While the roster remains largely unchanged, the team’s strategy will be adapted. “We have to come at this with a really refreshed view of how we’re going to tackle it,” Donald added.
“Twenty months ago, when I was made captain again, this was my first thought. It’s like, what are the things that haven’t worked in the past away Ryder Cups, and how do we correct that?”
“I’ve come at it from a different angle of communication with the players, what the environment requires and really doing a deep dive on that and the best practices.”
“My goal as a captain is to create lasting memories with these players. We got to do it in Rome, and hopefully, we get to do it in New York, creating a week that they always remember.”
“And I thought we did a pretty good job in Rome. So it’s a big task to try and make this week even better.”
Donald refrained from commenting on whether he would have preferred his counterpart, Keegan Bradley, to have appointed himself as a playing captain.
“I’ve always tried to keep my leadership around things that I can influence and that was totally out of my control,” said the 47-year-old European skipper.
“We know, he’s one of their best players. And if he played, he was going to be strong.”
“We also knew that if he decided to do that, it was going to be a lot to try and juggle both. But they seem to have many plans in place.”
“He’s made his decision. He’s decided that he has plenty of talent to replace him.”
“I know Keegan well. He’s a good friend of mine and I understand that he’s going to bring a strong passion, he’s going to try and get his troops pretty fired up.”
The coming weeks represent a critical period of preparation, with both teams participating in competitive events on both sides of the Atlantic.
Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Tyrrell Hatton are scheduled to compete in the Irish Open this week, before joining the rest of the team at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth the following week.
Simultaneously, the majority of Bradley’s team will participate in the PGA Tour’s Procore Championship in Napa, California.
Expect extensive discussion in the lead-up to the Bethpage showdown, with both sides cautiously avoiding the label of favorites.
Donald has already initiated this narrative. “Obviously, on paper, they’re very strong,” he noted. “That home advantage is pretty good. So, I still do believe we are underdogs.”
However, they are well-prepared with experience, poised to potentially defy expectations.
Listen back to a Ryder Cup special on BBC Sounds with Iain Carter, Oli Wilson and Trish Johnson analyzing the European team.
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