Latest news with #LukeDonald
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Ryder Cup countdown: Tension builds as teams take shape and key decisions loom
Let's take a look at some crucial timelines approaching faster than many of us realise, as the countdown is accelerating. In just 58 days, the 45th Ryder Cup will kick off at the iconic Bethpage Black in New York on 26th September 2025. The anticipation is mounting as players and fans alike await the final team line-ups and the dramatic battles that will unfold on the course. With so much still to be decided, now is a perfect time to highlight some key dates and developments that may have flown under the radar as excitement builds for this prestigious biennial contest. It is only 25 days before Team Europe Captain Luke Donald reveals his six automatic qualifiers, and just 18 days before Team USA's Keegan Bradley announces his seven automatic picks — a week earlier than Donald. The crucial Captain's Picks will follow shortly after, with Donald's selections due in the week commencing 1st September, and Bradley's the week of 25th Captain's Agreement Updated A notable recent change involves the Ryder Cup Captain's Agreement, a set of longstanding rules defining what captains, players, and officials can and cannot do during the event. The latest amendment, agreed by both captains, clarifies that only the Captain can give advice, not Vice-Captains—unless there is a Playing Captain actively competing. In that case, the Playing Captain may delegate advice-giving to a nominated Vice-Captain. This tweak has sparked further discussion around Bradley's role as a potential Playing Captain for Team USA, a debate that is expected to continue until the official teams are confirmed. Captain Donald has announced his fourth of five Vice-Captains, adding Francesco Molinari to Edoardo Molinari, Thomas Bjorn, and Jose Maria Olazabal—all veterans of the 2023 event in Rome. The fifth Vice-Captain will be revealed soon. On the U.S. side, the Vice-Captain roster is complete with Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker, and Gary Woodland. 2031 Ryder Cup heads to Spain In other news, the 2031 Ryder Cup venue has been confirmed as Camiral Golf & Wellness Resort in Girona, Costa Brava, Spain. This will mark Spain's second time hosting the event, following the legendary 1997 competition at Valderrama, which Europe won under Seve Ballesteros. Currently, the European automatic qualifiers for 2025 include Ryder Cup veterans Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, and Sepp Straka. LIV Golf's Jon Rahm, currently 21st in the rankings, is also expected to make the team. Potential Captain's Picks include Rasmus Hojgaard, Justin Rose, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, and Matt Wallace. Other players who could feature in the mix are Matt Fitzpatrick, Thorbjorn Olesen, and Nicolai Hojgaard, with Donald likely favouring experienced Ryder Cup players over rookies. Only time will tell who makes the final cut—but with the key dates rapidly approaching, the answers are just around the corner. The countdown is truly on, and the excitement is palpable.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Rory McIlroy Shows Faith in Luke Donald Amid Ian Poulter's Ryder Cup Warning
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Rory McIlroy was recently spotted soaking up the sun at a beach club in Saint-Tropez, where the Masters champion gave the perfect reply to a fan asking about his green jacket. "It's on the yacht," McIlroy replied as captured in a viral video posted by NUCLR Golf on X. But while his vacation video went viral on social media, McIlroy's recent interview with David Novak reflected that he certainly hasn't drifted from the next big battle at Bethpage Black. TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 16: Luke Donald of England and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walk on the eighth hole during a practice round prior to The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon on July... TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 16: Luke Donald of England and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walk on the eighth hole during a practice round prior to The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon on July 16, 2024 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by) More Getty Images The Northern Irishman became the first automatic qualifier for Team Europe, marking his eighth consecutive Ryder Cup. "I've played in seven of them. I really hope I play in seven more. I don't know if seven is achievable, but it's the best experience you can have as a professional golfer. It's amazing," McIlroy shared on the 'How Leaders Lead with David Novak' podcast. He spoke about the intensity of representing Europe and how being "sort of talisman for the European Team and trying to lead by example and trying to set the tone and ... bring the rookies along" makes him absolutely "love that stuff." But that was not all. The five-time major winner also showcased his faith in the European team captain, Luke Donald, giving a strong reply to doubters. Rory McIlroy shows confidence in Luke Donald Just a few days ago, Ian Poulter publicly warned Team Europe to brace for the sheer volume and intensity awaiting them at Bethpage. "Luke (Donald) has got a venue in Bethpage Black that is going to be very loud, very raucous. We've had numerous events at that location in the past, so they certainly know what they are going to be in for," Poulter told Sky Sports. But McIlroy's string of praise for Donald and his team showcased the solid status of Europe. ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 01: Rory McIlroy of Team Europe celebrates winning his match 3&1 with Luke Donald, Captain of Team Europe on the 17th green during the Sunday singles matches of the 2023 Ryder... ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 01: Rory McIlroy of Team Europe celebrates winning his match 3&1 with Luke Donald, Captain of Team Europe on the 17th green during the Sunday singles matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on October 01, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by) More Getty Images "The one thing about Luke was his demeanor, his tone, his whole attitude throughout the week (Ryder Cup 2024) never changed," McIlroy told Novak during the interview posted on YouTube. "That's the sort of, you know, steady ... rock-like leadership that ... if you're a team and you're looking at your captain and he looks like that all the time, that just gives you so much confidence," he continued to tell Novak as quoted. "Whether he (Donald) thinks he knows what he's doing, but he looked like he knew what he was doing, right?" McIlroy added how the European captain "just had this air of complete confidence and comfort and every time a player looked (at Donald), they just got the sense that, you know, no matter what happens, this guy's got everything under control. And that is, you know, to have a leader like that is amazing." Donald's calm presence in Rome left a lasting impression last year, and that kind of leadership might be exactly what Europe needs in New York as team Keegan Bradley gears up to bring back the trophy home. More Golf: Jon Rahm, Lee Westwood Slam OWGR System Ahead of Ryder Cup Selection
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shane Lowry Insists Team Europe will be ‘prepared' for raucous Ryder Cup crowd at Bethpage Black in New York
SHANE LOWRY insists Luke Donald will have Team Europe prepared for a hostile reception from some fans at the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York. The world's most prestigious Advertisement 2 Shane Lowry says Luke Donald will prepare Team Europe for everything and anything as they head to New York in September 2 Shane Lowry says Team Europe will be ready for the passionate crowd at Bethpage Black And the task at hand for the holders of the famous trophy will be all the more challenging as they look to retain it on US soil. Tempers have flared on and off the course in recent years at the famous match - something The New York crowd are renowned for their patriotic passion, and the European players are expecting a boisterous atmosphere on foreign soil. Advertisement read more on golf But he insists they will be prepared for everything and anything come Friday, September 26. When asked about how European players may handle the away crowd, the Clara native insisted that their skipper will have them ready. He said: 'Yeah, we've talked about it... there's no doubt we've talked about it. 'But it's still ongoing, and you have to figure out a way to deal with certain stuff. Advertisement Most read in Golf 'It might not be as bad as they say - people say it will be bad, but we'll see. 'I think if you're prepared for something, you'll deal with it okay; I think when something happens and you're not prepared for it, that's when it gets hard... Darts star Luke Littler tries out brand new sport and fans reckon they know where he learned his technique 'But we'll be prepared — Luke Donald will prepare his team very well - and we'll be ready to go.' 2019 Open champion Lowry is excited about the task at hand - although the Irishman has not yet qualified, it is expected he would be selected by skipper Luke Donald if he fails to qualify automatically in the standings. Advertisement One person who won't attending is Xander Schauffele's father, the Team USA player's father Stefan Schauffele told
New York Times
23-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Ryder Cup 2025 roster projection: Who will make the U.S., Europe teams?
With major championship season now in the rearview mirror, all road signs now directly point to the last week in September and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York. That also means the opportunities to make a case for yourself are dwindling, though history suggests someone will get very hot in August and force themselves into the Ryder Cup discussion in a way no one saw coming. That type of 11th-hour push is not always successful, though, with many captains instead taking a longer view and trusting the bigger body of work. Advertisement That's why our latest Ryder Cup roster projections will feel much more set in stone than other iterations over the last three months have. For Brody Miller, who took on the role of U.S. captain Keegan Bradley, and Hugh Kellenberger, acting as Team Europe boss Luke Donald, the job is now about poring over the final one or two spots and filling in any gaps the team may have. The broader picture of the U.S. Ryder Cup team appears dramatically more stable than it did just three months ago, when projections were reaching for anyone in even partially good form or any big name with cup experience. Suddenly, the problems for Bradley are about leaving off players you'd love to have in their current form, or Bradley himself playing so well that it's less about whether he deserves to be on the team than it is about whether he should stay in the captaincy role. He'll have to decide if he's comfortable leaving off all-time cup greats versus brushing off golfers currently winning tournaments and competing for majors. Really, really deserving golfers will be left off this team, no matter what Bradley decides. But with a month until teams get finalized, let's predict what Bradley will do. Scottie Scheffler: Moving on. Xander Schauffele: His past two months have consistently had him living in the top 10 and 20 of leaderboards again as he's gaining two strokes on the field. He'll be just fine. J.J. Spaun: This is not purely somebody on a team because he won the U.S. Open. He's been runner-up at the Players and the Cognizant this year. He's No. 20 in the world on DataGolf, playing solid golf all year. Even if he might ultimately only be the 12th-best player on the U.S. team, you're very happy to have him. Russell Henley: I felt confident Henley would be on this team 10 months ago, as he thrived at the Presidents Cup and positioned himself as the perfect Scheffler pairing. Now, it's so much more. Henley won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and has finished top 10 at four of his last six majors. He can be both a good four-ball partner, as the steady rock finding fairways while his partner gets aggressive, and he's a great alternate shot teammate who is world-class with his irons and won't ever put his partner in bad position off the tee. Plus, he's a fantastic putter. It's no longer just a nice story. He's simply one of the best players in the world. Advertisement Bryson DeChambeau: No conversation needed. A top-four player in the world and the longest hitter by far. Bethpage go boom. Harris English: When English won at Torrey Pines, he still wasn't anywhere near this list. Nor was he after a T12 Augusta. Or even really when he finished runner-up at the PGA Championship. Credit where it's due. English is fully back. Now at 35, three years removed from back surgery that stunted his career, the 2021 Ryder Cup winning player is simply killing it. Two major runner-ups and three top 20s. And the U.S. will take all the good putting it can get. Even if he gets surpassed for automatic qualifying, he'll be on the team. Justin Thomas: Hey, maybe his one year left off a cup team served its purpose! Despite an extremely disappointing season at majors, Thomas is back to being the No. 8 player on DataGolf, the fifth-highest ranking on the team. All that with the memories of his 7-4-2 Ryder Cup record lingering. There's no doubt this time. Collin Morikawa: You are more than welcome to worry about his play the last three months. It's been a steep dropoff. But Morikawa is still one of the five best iron players on Earth and a guy with four Ryder Cup match wins and a 4-1 record last year at the Presidents Cup. Don't be silly. Keegan Bradley: This is not the big captaincy debate. You can read that here. For now, I'm just projecting what I think will happen, and this is no longer a situation where Bradley is on the bubble for the final spot. I'd argue he's been the sixth- or seventh-best U.S. player in 2025. He won with incredible clutch play at the Travelers in June. He hasn't finished worse than 41st at any tournament since April. And you cannot deny the passion he brings and the way crowds respond to him. The only reason to leave Bradley off is purely because you believe his captaincy is that important. If that's how you feel, it is completely understandable. But if you are picking the 12 best, it's not even a debate. Advertisement Ben Griffin: The missed cut at the Open is a disappointment, and if he has a terrible August, this can be revisited. But Griffin's play has not merely been a nice heater over the summer (although what a heater it was). He's been in contention in tournaments every single month of the season, going back to January. And again, sometimes the vibe test adds something. Griffin at Bethpage? Immaculate vibes. Patrick Cantlay: What are we doing here? Suddenly, there's a strong conversation that Cantlay shouldn't be a lock. People, he's a lock. After decades of hearing Americans bemoan the Europeans having all these form-agnostic killers like Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood who win no matter what, now the U.S. has the best cup player of the 2020s and is nitpicking him? My goodness. Also, he's not even having a bad year! A poor major run, absolutely. But if we're going off overall statistical golf, he's been the ninth-best American. He's played in 10 signature events this year and been top 20 in eight of them! If anything, last year was the real down year for Cantlay, and he still was the absolute star of the Presidents Cup. Stop this madness. Sam Burns: Woof, this was hard. He's played overall better golf this year than Jordan Spieth, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak or Chris Gotterup. From the RBC Heritage through the Travelers, he essentially earned two strokes on the field every week he went out. He's been here before, and he'll be perhaps the best putter in the entire competition. I've said in every projection this year that if Spieth plays perfectly solid golf — which he has — then you have to have him on the team. But at the end of the day, too many golfers like Spaun, English and Griffin went out and earned spots. Final thoughts • Chris Gotterup making the team would be awesome, and his absurd length off the tee makes him a perfect fit. It's very encouraging to see the 25-year-old bomber do so well on the biggest stages, like his third-place finish this week at the Open. But it's just a little too in-the-moment for me. If he tears it up this August? Absolutely. He should be considered. I just don't want to make a rash decision. • Deep down, the best thing that could happen is Maverick McNealy or Spieth winning a tournament in the next month. McNealy has played such impressive golf all season long. He is more than deserving of playing in a Ryder Cup. He just hasn't been better than the 12 golfers picked. But I'd love nothing more than for McNealy to win in Memphis or the BMW and grab a spot. The same goes for Spieth. Advertisement • Don't rule out Andrew Novak. Captain Bradley went out of his way recently on the 5 Clubs podcast to toss Novak's name in, saying, 'Guys like Andrew Novak have shown throughout the year what a tough competitor he is. I love his mindset and his attitude.' It wouldn't be a bad pick at all. The only thing holding me back is him slowing down a bunch since his April-May heater. When Europe decided to run it back for 2025, enlisting Luke Donald again as captain and watching as he reassembled his vice-captain team, it all felt very intentional. To be the first road team to win a Ryder Cup since 2012, keep as much as you can with what worked and build off of that. It's a dramatic contract from the U.S. squad, facing their latest existential crisis about leadership and passion. So if you're going to bring back Donald and four of his vice-captains, including analytics wizard Dodo Molinari, why not also bring back the players? So that's what I'm doing here — between the six automatic qualifiers and my captain's picks, 11 of the 12 European teammates in 2023 are returning. All 11 brought home at least one full point in Rome, the result of their talent but also of a cohesive approach where veteran Justin Rose was willing to be paired with nervous rookie Robert MacIntyre in fourball and sit the foursomes sessions. MacIntyre's career has taken off since then, and he currently sits second in the European points rankings. Rory McIlroy, of course, is on top, and already automatically qualified, though there's little doubt he waited until that news to book his tickets to New York. Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry are Nos. 3-5, and will again be foundational elements of the lineup. Hatton and Fleetwood each played four matches in Rome, and Lowry is a ready-made partner for our sixth automatic pick, Sepp Straka. Of all of these men, Straka has the most nervous road to Bethpage. He missed the first three majors cuts of the year and finished T52 at the Open, and will need some positive results in the PGA Tour's playoffs to not need a captain's pick. Jon Rahm has not done well enough outside of LIV to qualify on points but c'mon, how can you not bring the Spaniard? His good is still better than most's best, and he hits it a mile off the tee. You need that at this course. This is where the questions begin, and you have to have at least some doubt about what you're getting from them during Ryder Cup week. Advertisement Viktor Hovland is going to be on the team, which is not something I would have guaranteed at different points over the last two years. The Norwegian has figured out his game enough to earn the spot, though the boom-or-bust nature of his game the last four months has me worried. Could he win 3 1/2 points again? Sure. Could he be a disappointment and struggle? Also yes. Ludvig Åberg's PGA Tour season has been a definite sophomore slump, with a regression off the tee and around the greens causing him to be a middle-of-the-pack player. Among just Europeans, he's 12th in strokes gained overall the last three months, behind several players not on this team. So why take him? One, he's Ludvig Åberg and the long-term view is still him as one of the most exciting young players in golf. But the unique format of the Ryder Cup would allow an enterprising captain to use Åberg in foursomes, setting him up for his still-strong iron play to be a weapon on approaches and the par-3s. Rose will be 45 by the end of September and he needs to be a role player at Bethpage. After his playoff loss at the Masters, he regressed badly for several months, until a sixth-place finish at the Scottish Open and T16 at the Open Championship. He's a good player, but would it be entirely shocking if he has an off week? Not at all. The last veteran to make the team is Matt Fitzpatrick. His performance at Royal Portrush, playing in the last group on Saturday and finishing in the top five, was a very loud announcement that the Englishman is back. Over the previous three months, he has been sixth in the world in strokes gained, and it's not weighted toward one particular category. Overall, he's been very efficient. All four of these players have earned their spots, and you'll take the risk because of the potential. If two or three (or four) all struggle and you lose the cup, that'll be unfortunate, but you can live with it because you still gave yourself the best chance to win. That leaves just one spot and a handful of contenders. Nicolai Højgaard is powerful off the tee and trending in a positive direction. Thomas Detry won in Phoenix earlier this year against a good field. If you're looking strictly at current form, then Harry Hall and Aaron Rai must be on the long list. Advertisement There's also Sergio Garcia. He's a Ryder Cup legend, no doubt. He caught fire for a month, winning LIV Hong Kong and backing it up with two top fives. But nothing in the last three months has approached that level of play, making him an unnecessary reach and potential liability. No, I'm going with Rasmus Højgaard. While he'll be the lone Ryder Cup rookie on this team, he was a part of things in Rome. When twin brother Nicolai made it, Donald invited Rasmus to come and have a role, to be around the team room as much as he desired. It's an example of an approach to leadership that builds buy-in and continuity, taking what could be an awkward situation and making it as comfortable as possible. Two years later, Rasmus is the brother who's seventh in the Ryder Cup points standings, with enough positive results that he cannot be ignored. Do we expect him to be a killer? No. But he'll do his job, and another true driver of the golf ball is the final piece that Europe needs. (Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photos: David Cannon, Richard Heathcote / Getty Images; Zac Goodwin / PA Images via Getty Images; Stuart Franklin / R&A via Getty Images)
Straits Times
23-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Ryder Cup officially returning to Spain in 2031
Team Europe captain Luke Donald and his team pose with the trophy as they celebrate after winning the 2023 Ryder Cup. MADRID – Ryder Cup Europe confirmed on July 22 that the biennial event will return to Spain in 2031 and be played at the Camiral Golf and Wellness Resort in Caldes de Malavella. Located in the north-eastern part of Spain near Barcelona, the resort was formerly known as PGA Catalunya. It will be the second course in Spain to host a Ryder Cup, which was played at Valderrama Golf Club in 1997. 'Today's announcement not only recognises Camiral as one of Europe's leading venues, but also the considerable contribution Spanish golf has made to the proud history of the Ryder Cup,' European Tour Group chief executive Guy Kinnings said in a statement. The resort's Stadium course has played host to a DP World Tour event three times, most recently in 2022, as well as having served as the site for the final stage of the tour's qualifying school from 2008-16, according to Golf Digest. It will also host the tour's Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship from 2028-30. Spain's Sergio Garcia is the all-time Ryder Cup points leader with 28 1/2, while countryman Jon Rahm has become one of the team's stars over the past three iterations of the event. The 2025 Ryder Cup will be contested in September at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, with Europe defending their 16 1/2-11 1/2 victory in Italy two years ago. The event will be held at Ireland's Adare Manor in 2027 followed by Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota, in 2027. After Camiral, the Ryder Cup will return to San Francisco's Olympic Club in 2033. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore S'pore's domestic recycling rate drops to all time low of 11% Singapore HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kick in Business Singapore's digital banks finding their niche in areas like SMEs as they narrow losses in 2024 Asia Japan Prime Minister Ishiba to resign by August, Mainichi newspaper reports World Trump says US will charge 19% tariff on goods from Philippines, down from 20% Singapore Two found dead after fire in Toa Payoh flat Singapore 2 foreigners arrested for shop theft at Changi Airport Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving With Spain's Seve Ballesteros serving as team captain, Europe won the Ryder Cup 14 1/2-13 1/2 at Valderrama. Ballesteros, Garcia and Rahm are three of 11 Spaniards who have competed in the event. Ballesteros and countryman Antonio Garrido were the first players from Continental Europe to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup in 1979 at the Greenbrier. There has been at least one Spaniard on the team in every Ryder Cup since. 'The Ryder Cup has grown significantly since Spain last hosted it in 1997,' Kinnings added. 'It is one of the world's leading sporting events, which brings significant economic benefits and global exposure to a host region and country, so we could not be happier to be taking it to Costa Brava and Barcelona for the first time, and to Spain for the second time.' REUTERS
