FARMINGDALE, NY — Standing in the center of the amphitheater that surrounds the 17th green at Bethpage Black, the European Ryder Cup team experienced a different sensation for the first time all week. After two days of dream golf inside the ropes amid nightmare conditions outside of them, the boys in blue and gold could feel the ground begin to crumble from underneath.
A group of players stared at the big scoreboard above them, noticing only one of the 12 singles matches were painted with blue, the other 11 shaded in red or grey. The United States’ comeback bid was officially on, and it was real.
Looks of panic were exchanged … until captain Luke Donald stepped in, one foot in front of the other, remaining cool, calm and collected as if there was no scenario for which he had not prepared — even the seemingly impossible that was occurring in front of their eyes.
What was originally expected to be a bludgeoning leading to a coronation turned into battle royale Sunday at Bethpage Black. Entering the final day of the 2025 Ryder Cup with a substantial seven-point edge, Europe did just enough as the sun was setting in Long Island to skirt past the desperate American side and win the Ryder Cup, 15 to 13.
Europe won just one singles match in the final session, compiling a record of 1-6-4 that included the invocation of the so-called “envelope rule” before play began. Viktor Hovland aggravated a neck injury Saturday morning; unable to play Sunday, his singles match with Harris English was cancelled, and each side was awarded a half point.
What was originally thought to be a hotly contested event was supposed to be a stroll into the history books Sunday as Europe became the first team to win away from home since 2012 and only the fifth ever to win on American soil.
With the triumph, Donald joined Tony Jacklin as the second man to captain Europe to Ryder Cup victories. Unlike Jacklin, who was at the helm in four different editions of the competition, Donald stayed perfect when paired with his masterclass from Rome two years prior.
Across the eight Ryder Cups in which he has participated as a player, vice captain and captain, Donald’s record stands tall at 7-1.
In the primary role, Donald’s team is 8-2 in the 10 playing sessions, never trailing in the competition. As far as the Ryder Cup experience could go for a skipper, Donald’s first nine sessions were about as stress-free as one could desire.
Sunday more than made up for that, but in the process, it added another layer of context in when reviewing Donald’s captaincy. Never out over his skis or with a sense of doubt in his mind, the Englishman remained unaffected by the pressure, poised and unflappable as it mounted around his team.
“The level of professionalism he’s shown us the last four years, his attention to detail in his post and his knowledge of Ryder Cup and the game and what we do on the golf course day in can day out is what made these last two Ryder Cups possible,” said Jon Rahm. “He is the captain of this ship, and he’s led us better than I can see anybody leading us. He set the bar extremely high for the future captains.”
Details vary in terms of how Donald has made the greatest impact, but it’s clear his presence gives Europe a winning advantage. Whether it is lineup composition, a reliance on analytics, scouting trips or the hundreds of other tiny, forgettable acts for which Donald accounts, the Englishman leaves no stone unturned. That accountability creates a universal sense of calm under pressure.
“My job is literally to give these guys a better chance to win,” Donald said. “It can be as simple as some very small things. I’ll give you an example: At the hotel rooms this week, the doors to our hotel rooms had a big crack that let in light. We brought things that covered the light. We put different shampoos that had a better smell. We changed the bedding because the beds weren’t very good, and they just had sheets, and we created much nicer beds so guys could sleep, they could have more energy.
“Those are just little things. I’m going into some really small details.”
“Le Labo if anyone is wondering,” chimed in a laughing Rory McIlroy, acknowledging the replacement shampoo. “Really, really nice.”
Donald voices with regularity that such details would not be discovered without contributions from his 12 players and support staff behind the scenes. Participating are the likes Tommy Fleetwood, Rahm and McIlroy, whose Ryder Cup journey alongside Donald stretches back 15 years as teammates starting as teammates in The Ulsterman’s debut at Celtic Manor as a chubby 21-year-old prodigy.
Two years later, in 2012, it was Donald who was the top European player and best player in the world on that winning team at Medinah. It turned out to be his last Ryder Cup swinging the clubs, leaving a void McIlroy embraced with fervor, only strengthening the connection between the captain and his best player.
“Rory has made no qualms about how important the Ryder Cup is to him, and I think that’s inspiring to me. It’s inspiring to his team,” Donald said. “You know, maybe not quite on the same level as winning the grand slam and the Masters, but it’s pretty effiing close. It really is.
“He’s talked to me about it many times, about how he wants to win an away Ryder Cup and how difficult that is. To have someone of Rory’s caliber fighting so hard, that’s inspiring for the team. You know, obviously you can’t do it alone, but it’s very helpful when someone like Rory is contributing like he does.”
Donald’s captaincy would not have turned out this way without McIlroy, and certainly, McIlroy’s Ryder Cup revival would not have been possible without Donald.
Now 7-2-1 in his last two Ryder Cups under Donald’s watchful eye, McIlroy led the reclamation of the Ryder Cup in Rome after Europe was beaten down on the shores of Wisconsin by a record margin in 2021. Following that win in Rome, the Northern Irishman (successfully) called his shot in New York.
“Ryder Cup weeks are the best weeks of our lives,” Donald said. “We talk about this all the time. Those individual accolades are fun. Individually, we want to achieve as much as we can. Rory has achieved so much in the game. His place in history is set.
“But I think those weeks we spend together are the ones we remember the most and the ones we cherish the most because of the time we get to spend with each other. That’s a big part of my captaincy is to create an environment where these guys are having the best weeks of their lives, honestly.
“We’ll always remember this. We’ll always go down in history. We talk about all the people that came before us that paved the way for us. Now, future generations will talk about this team tonight and what they did and how they were able to overcome one of the toughest environments in all of sport. And that is inspiring to me, and that’s what Rory gets and all these other 11 guys get as well.”
Donald and McIlroy are linked by more than just continent they share and colors they wear. They move in unison as the best European captain and best European player to ever grace the game.
In a perfectly European way, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, though Donald and McIlroy’s places in the equation create an exponential advantage.
It adds up to a winning culture, a bought-in team — despite the vagaries of the professional golf schedule — and a burning desire to win no matter the circumstances. It adds up to a pair of leaders — one inside the lines striking the shots, the other outside the lines calling them. It adds up to another European Ryder Cup victory.
Bonded by brotherhood and badge, Donald and McIlroy stand alone as the greatest captain-player duo in history.