PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 14, 2025

Luke Donald

Quail Hollow Club

Press Conference

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THE MODERATOR: We're pleased to be joined now by European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

Welcome to your 17th PGA Championship. How much have you looked forward to competing in yet another major?

LUKE DONALD: Well, yes. Where I am in my career, I'm obviously very grateful to the PGA of America for giving me this invitation to play this week.

Still, aside from my captain's duties, I like to work on my game, keep working at it and playing majors is always fun. The atmosphere, playing on world-class golf courses against world-class field, testing your game -- it's going to be a test for me this week. It's a brute of a golf course, very long, and with the weather it's playing even longer.

But glad to be here. It's great to be around all the players and playing another major is always fun.

THE MODERATOR: Also with your captain's hat on, how do you feel about another strong showing from the Europeans following the Masters?

LUKE DONALD: Yeah, it's great. Talking to a few guys, it's always nice when potential guys on your team are up there each and every week playing against the strongest fields in golf and doing extremely well.

Sometimes it's a little bit of a -- when you have two or three guys up there, like at the Masters we had obviously Rory, Justin, Ludvig, last week Shane and Sepp. There's always going to be one loser, as well, which is the tough part because I'm texting the guys hard luck. But inside I'm thinking, this is great, because I've got a few potential guys all playing really well.

It's a great problem to have. I love the momentum that we have so far. The players always seem to elevate their games in Ryder Cup years, and it's good to see.

Q. Especially now we talk about the animosity, the tensions of the Ryder Cup, and maybe because I'm European and American at the same time; do you have memories or moments when the fans from Europe and the U.S. come together, the players come together, the great things about the Ryder Cup being a place where everybody comes together?

LUKE DONALD: The Ryder Cup has an amazing history, and I think that's what creates really fun viewing for the fans.

I think golf in general is very much an individual sport, but the Ryder Cup is team, and it relates a little bit better to the fans because of that. They're used to watching basketball and football and soccer and team sports. They get behind those teams.

I think that's why the Ryder Cup is special. It's played over a lot of history. There's a good balance of U.S. and Europe winning. It's been a good battle over the last 30, 35, 40 years, going back and forward.

I think players love that and the fans love that. The players, certainly, as captain for Rome, just seeing those relationships, those moments in the team rooms where they get to chat together and share stories and all that kind of stuff, I think it's just a very unique week compared to what we have the other 51 weeks of the year.

That's what makes the Ryder Cup very special.

Q. At the same time, would you say you're friends with the captain of the American team and the players of the American team and your players are friends, too?

LUKE DONALD: I think we have a deep respect for everyone. In the end, there's always -- after three days of long battling on Sunday night, we always come together and we share stories.

But Friday, Saturday, Sunday we want to win. We want to win. The competitiveness of these players, which makes them how great they are, really shows up.

But yeah, we have a deep respect for all the players, and I have a deep respect and friendship with Keegan, my opposite. Nothing changes, but it doesn't mean you don't want to beat them.

Q. Just wondered if you'd had any indication about when the appeals, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton's appeals might be heard, and is there any sort of ongoing concern from you that those guys might not end up being eligible for the Ryder Cup?

LUKE DONALD: I have had zero conversations. That's a question for Guy Kinnings. I do not get involved with the politics of that.

So my concentration is to get the best 12 players to New York, and hopefully everyone is eligible.

Q. Regarding the best 12 players for constructing your Ryder Cup roster, some captains typically lean more on emotion and partnership that they've formed while others are a little bit more analytical. How are you going to strike a balance between the two, and do you lean one way or another for putting the team together?

LUKE DONALD: Yeah, we have stats on everyone, and it's my job to kind of communicate with players once the team starts to form to figure out good partnership matches in terms of personality, as well.

I wouldn't say it's one over the other. I think statistics and data is really important, but gut instinct and personality matchups is equally as important.

Then you have to sort of match it to the golf course, and then you have to look at golf balls, as well, which is another headache that we have to think about, especially the week before when we're trying to figure out those kind of ideal partnerships.

Q. Are there any candidates in the team that are petitioning themselves for that course, like you said, being a potential player to a course match like you mentioned?

LUKE DONALD: No. It's a little too early yet. We still have three majors, a bunch of elevated events, Rolex Series events. There's plenty of points to play for.

So those guys are keeping their heads down and trying to make as many points as they can.

Q. As you reflect on where you were at the 2023 PGA Championship as you were entering as the Ryder Cup Captain that year, how do you feel like you've grown heading into the 2025 PGA Championship now?

LUKE DONALD: Well, I'm still 5'9", not hitting it far enough. I think as a player, not much has changed. I still like to work on my game, and it gets harder the older you get.

But as a captain, I certainly learnt a lot about myself before Rome. I've said it many times, when I was given the call, I think it was sometime around the week of the Canadian Open in 2022 that I was going to be the captain, I had some doubts whether I could fulfill the role, whether I had the abilities to do that.

And I certainly in the last three years now, I've learnt a lot about myself. I've learnt a lot about leadership, learnt about how to come out of my natural introvertness a little bit more.

I think it's only helped me as a person, has helped me understand myself a little bit better. It's been a challenge.

I think just as my individual career, I've always tried to push myself and go towards those challenges, and this has certainly been one of those. I've loved every minute of it, even during the hard moments.

Q. Rory is obviously pretty good on my golf course, but what is it about this particular layout that seems to suit him so much?

LUKE DONALD: Well, it's a big golf course. It's not overly tight off the tee, but it demands length. And I think his high shot that he can hit right to left, there's quite a few holes that demand that sort of shot shape.

You know, that, coupled with just a place that he's had success, and every time he has success, it builds. You just feel more and more comfortable. You understand the greens. You understand how they roll. You understand the breaks. He obviously feels comfortable on the greens as well.

The greens have some slope, and having shorter shots, shorter irons into some of these greens, you can control it a little bit. It's a little bit like Augusta in that regard.

It's a golf course that certainly fits his game.

Q. Assuming all doors are open and everybody is eligible, how do you try to assess these guys like Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton and Sergio Garcia, knowing what they're capable of doing in the Ryder Cup but not being up in the points with everybody else or maybe as competitive in the points to automatically qualify? How do you assess what they're capable of and making those choices when the time comes?

LUKE DONALD: Well, first of all, most data and analytics, we do have pretty in-depth data even on the guys on LIV, so we can track. We know exactly how they're playing.

Then obviously the majors are important. I think that's the time when everyone gets together on good golf courses and you have stacked fields. Just to see how they're playing in those is another point that we take into consideration quite a lot.

Q. Knowing how intense the atmosphere is likely to be at Bethpage, how important will it be having guys who have been in that cauldron before over more rookies?

LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I think I will certainly give a little bit more importance to experience, people who have been able to handle those big moments under the most scrutiny, those major championships, people who can step up, have had chances to win or have won major championships.

I think it's something I will definitely consider, and it will be something that could give someone an edge if they're on a very similar playing field in terms of statistics.

Q. Luke, you said part of your job is to put together the best team. I know you said also that you're not involved in the process in regards to Tyrrell or Sergio or Jon. But does that mean you wouldn't advocate for them if the process went against them?

LUKE DONALD: Well, I would love for them to be eligible.

But again, I'm not involved in that process. That is not my role. I'll leave that up to Guy. I think he can answer that one better than me.

Q. Just to confirm, so you do believe that your role is to get the best team together, but yet you wouldn't be willing to advocate for those guys if they weren't eligible?

LUKE DONALD: Well, I think Guy knows that I want my best 12; let's put it that way. But I haven't talked to him about that.

Q. Of your 12, how many would you say are locked in currently, and as part of that, Jon Rahm was asked yesterday if he's basically been given a nod and a wink to say that you're in one way or the other, but he deferred that question to you.

LUKE DONALD: Well, I haven't given anyone the nod. I think it's a little bit too early for that.

Again, I have, we have, very in-depth stats. We know exactly how these players are playing. We have a great idea of where they stack up against each other and against the U.S.

But I certainly think it's a little too early to be giving anyone like firm assurances right now. We have three majors, elevated events, plenty of other events, Rolex Series events to play. I want them to go out and feel like they go and earn it. Let's go in and play well.

But again, we do have a lot of stats. In terms of Jon, he's one of the best players in the world, and I would expect him to be on that team, but I certainly haven't given him those assurances. He still needs to keep going and playing just like everyone else.

Again, no assurances have been given right now.

Q. Somewhat related to that, do you watch LIV Golf to see how those guys are playing?

LUKE DONALD: I tune in now and again, yep, absolutely.

Q. Are the majors more important for those guys than on the PGA TOUR because you have a little less sample size or less data for the LIV players?

LUKE DONALD: I think majors are important for everyone. But it's important for me, the majors, because personally I don't see the Jons, the Tyrrells, Sergios, et cetera, as much these days. In terms of just talking with them and seeing them face to face, that's important for me.

Q. Is there anything you learned about Sepp Straka at the '23 Ryder Cup that gave you a hint of the breakout season that he'd now have?

LUKE DONALD: Well, I think he was picked for a reason in '23. I think he's sort of proven that he deserves to be thought of as one of the best European players. Just a cool, calm, collected. Doesn't get too bothered by things, very consistent game, great putter.

We saw that on Sunday. He just sort of did what he knows he can do. Didn't seem to get too up, too down. Played extremely well.

He's just a very, very consistent ball striker. He works hard on his game. There's not too many weaknesses in his game. I think he was great to be around, as well, in that team room. He's just fun and joking and just an easy, easy guy to be around.

Q. Your college teammate, Tom Johnson, club pro out of Meadow Club made it here this week. What's your best Tom Johnson story?

LUKE DONALD: Best Tom Johnson story? I'm not sure they're appropriate for this audience. We had some fun in college, though, for four years. That's for sure.

Q. A few people I've spoken with on the International Presidents Cup team, they all say we've just got to do what Team Europe does in order to beat the Americans. Have any of them reached out to you to try and better understand the recipe?

LUKE DONALD: Well, I talked to Trevor more for myself when he was captain before Rome.

I ran into Geoff Ogilvy at the Masters this year, and he wants to sit down and have a little chat.

But again, I'm happy to kind of share what we do, if it helps. Yeah, obviously they're still building a little bit of their history, and it certainly has been a little bit one-sided, the results. I'd say the competition is probably closer than the results would say.

But yeah, I would be happy to talk to Geoff.