Luke Donald will lead Team Europe in a second-successive Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in 2025 after victory in Italy last Autumn, and the Englishman has already bolstered his backroom staff
Luke Donald has already began rebuilding his European Ryder Cup setup for next year’s title defence at Bethpage Black, reappointing Thomas Bjorn as one of his vice-captains.
Donald led the Europeans to an emphatic 16.5-11.5 victory over their American rivals at Marco Simone last October, winning back the title they had lost at Whistling Straits two years earlier. On the back of the impressive performance, Donald became the first skipper in almost 30 years to be reappointed.
He now however faces a much tougher task, as the Englishman aims to become the second captain in eight Ryder Cups to win the matchplay clash on away soil, with the last Europe’s Miracle at Medniah triumph 12 years ago.
In preparation, the Englishman has welcomed Bjorn back into the mix, who assisted him in Italy, as well as leading the Europeans to victory in 2018. “I am very excited to have Thomas back on the team,” Donald said of his vice-captain.
“Once I was appointed as captain again, my thoughts quickly went to who I wanted to have in the backroom staff. And Thomas certainly was one of those. He means a lot to me. He’s passed on his knowledge and I’ve had a great relationship with him over the last few years.
“He means a lot to me. He’s passed on his knowledge and I’ve had a great relationship with him over the last few years. To have those relationships, to enjoy the people you’re spending time with along that journey is really important.” Bjorn will join another member of 2023 captaincy team in Edoardo Molinari, who was also brought back in by Donald.
Luke Donald will be hoping to defend the Ryder Cup ( Image: Getty Images)
“This is an away Ryder Cup, so the earlier we can start planning, the better,” the captain added. “It has more challenges than a home match, but now I have Edoardo and Thomas alongside me I can get together with them and start the planning process around how we can create the right culture for the team to succeed in New York.”
The Europeans have gained a head start on their American rivals, who are still yet to announce the man who will lead their team in New York in 2025. The man heavily tipped to become Team USA skipper is Tiger Woods, who would no doubt revitalise the Americans on the back of their defeat six months ago.
Woods was quizzed on his stance on Ryder Cup captaincy for 2025 at last week’s Masters, with the 82-time PGA Tour winner revealing he was set to hold conversations with PGA of America chief Seth Waugh after the trip to Augusta. “It’s something that Seth and I are going to sit back and talk about it after this event,” he claimed.
“I said I’m going to be busy for a couple weeks, so let me focus on getting through this week and hopefully getting another jacket, and then we can sit back and talk about it next week.”
Woods has competed in eight Ryder Cups during his career, winning 13 matches and losing 21. However, his likely adversary Donald has stolen a march on preparation ahead of the huge event with plans already in place to try and win a second straight Ryder Cup.
