Luke Donald issues ruthless Ryder Cup warning to Team Europe at stately home summit
Luke Donald has warned his troops New York is going to be absolutely ruthless and togetherness holds the key to the Ryder Cup.
The European skipper brought together a squad of players for a gathering ahead of the Genesis Scottish Open.
Donald had 20 potential team members as well as vice-captains involved on Tuesday night at the lavish Gilmerton House near The Renaissance for an informal evening of messaging and chat.
At this stage, Rory McIlroy is the only European star automatically qualified for the team to face the United States in September.
LIV players Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are in Spain competing at Valderrama this week, but with many places up for grabs, Donald assembled 20 others at the stately home with established stars and team-hopefuls mingling and unifying over dinner.
Donald's masterful captaincy was a feature of the Rome triumph in 2023 with the togetherness he built in his group a critical factor in the win. Just as he did prior to Italy, he used Gilmerton House for talks on Scottish Open week.
Danish star Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who is currently 15th on the qualification list, was amongst those at the gathering and gave an insight into the messaging of the captain.
Speaking at an Under Armour event staged the following night at the same venue, he said: 'His message was, you know, we know that the environment we're going to go into in New York is going to be nothing like a European side's ever seen before.
'It's going to be absolutely ruthless and the better we can be at not reacting to whatever might be there emotionally, just kind of keeping our head down and minding our business and sticking together as a group, the stronger we can be as a team.
'One thing is that we have world-class players, but the better we can be as a team, the better chance we have to go get the trophy home with us.'
Neergaard-Petersen is clearly in with an outside chance of making the team with four other Danes, Hojgaard twins Rasmus and Nicolai, Thornbjorn Olesen and Niklas Norgaard also in the Top 20 in the qualification rankings.
Intriguingly, Donald will play alongside the 26-year-old for the opening two days at Renaissance to get a close look at the emerging talent.
Neergaard-Petersen, who came 12th in last month's US Open, said: 'Obviously I know that I have to play extremely well from now basically until the Ryder Cup's being played. But just to have a reasonable chance is incredible and, obviously, gives me a lot of motivation going forward as well.
'I always thought that I had the level and the talent to get to here at some point, but obviously I'm maybe a little bit surprised that it's been this fast, but just kind of taking it as it comes and now we're here. To be in this position now with contending a major championship, being in talks for Ryder Cup teams already, still a lot of years ahead of me, I'm just super excited for the future.
'I'm obviously going to do whatever, as much as I possibly can to make the team this year, but also just take a lot of confidence in knowing and believe that, even if it's not this year, then certainly down the road and have full belief that I'm going to make it happen.
'It'd be a dream come true. I've watched every Ryder Cup growing up that I can remember and that's one of the reasons that I started playing golf is I wanted to play the biggest events, I wanted to play Ryder Cups, so that's what drives me. So that would be a dream come true.
'And again, as I said, whether or not it's this year or down the line, I'm okay with. I'm just going to go out and do whatever I possibly can and do my absolute very best to see if I can make it this year. And if not this year, then just keep plugging away and then definitely in the future.'
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