THE RYDER CUP

September 25, 2025

Luke Donald

Bethpage Black Course

Team Europe

Quick Quotes

THE MODERATOR: European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald is with us now.

Let's get started with questions.

Q. Some of the pairings similar to Italy, some different. Was it tempting to roll out with the same groups that did so well in foursomes last year?

LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I mean, two years is a long time. So you know, again, those partnerships, you could easily have done that. I think I have 12 real my really strong players and those guys match up well, as well.

Again, we understand the U.S. is strong, strong in foursomes. They have some strong partnerships. We saw that coming in here, no matter what sort of combinations they went with.

We feel like this is our strongest to go against them. We want to get off to a good start like we did in Rome but we also understand the challenge ahead of us. This is a lineup that we are very, very comfortable with.

Q. One of those new ones is Ludvig and Fitzy. What do you like about the way that those two play together?

LUKE DONALD: Yeah, good mixture of games. I think in foursomes, I like that. I like a little bit of a difference in games to match the golf course, and these two really do match that golf course well.

Q. We've seen the importance, especially the last couple Ryder Cups, of getting off to a fast start and never looking back from there. Why do you think the group you put together is equipped to do that and potentially run away with it after that?

LUKE DONALD: I just think it's our strongest eight to go in foursomes.

Yeah, you want to get off to a fast start. We also -- we've talked a lot about the four times we have won away and we've done it in different fashions. So it's not always imperative but it's certainly nice to have.

Q. Do you feel like captains should be compensated for the Ryder Cup?

LUKE DONALD: (Laughs) oh, I'm going to stick with my team. I think if the captain gets compensated and the players don't, that's a little bit murky. So no.

Q. On a scale of 1 to 10, how feisty do you think this opening match will be?

LUKE DONALD: I don't know. I think they are all going to be pretty feisty. The buildup of any Ryder Cup is pretty intense. You feel every day getting a little bit more, Tuesday, Wednesday, and even today a little bit spicier, a little bit more stuff going on.

And tomorrow will be a different level. Always those first tee, it's pure energy. It's pure passion. You know, but I think my guys are ready for it.

Q. Are there certain traits you tend to look for in an opening pairing of a day?

LUKE DONALD: Traits?

Q. Yeah. Certain mental traits that you want to see for your first group out there.

LUKE DONALD: I mean, I have a hundred percent faith in all 12 of my guys in terms of how they can handle the situation. You know, we did -- I like Jon as a leader going off first with Tyrrell. They have been a very strong partnership. Jon, 4-0 I think, in foursomes over his history and 2-0 with Tyrrell. It's a strong start for us, and we'll need it.

Q. Obviously in Rome, Ludvig and Viktor had a great success together playing foursomes and you split them up. Is that a difficult decision that you have to do or something that, like you said, two years is a long time?

LUKE DONALD: Nothing difficult. I think, again, we had a lot of different options available to us. But no, this was discussed and talked about pretty straight after we made those -- the picks and we had our 12.

So Edoardo and I had been talking about this for three, four weeks since the team has been formed. We've communicated quite a lot to the players and they were very comfortable with it.

Q. Is there a scenario where you might sit anybody all day?

LUKE DONALD: I think there's always that scenario. You'd hope you wouldn't have to. I certainly didn't have to do that in Rome with the lead we had on Friday.

But there's always a situation that that could occur, and we'll be ready for any kind of situation.

Q. Yesterday in your speech, you took a little bit of a jab at the U.S. for playing for money, wanting to be compensated. Do you have an understanding of how much The European Tour earns off this, and do they give money to charities? Do you know about that?

LUKE DONALD: Well, it wasn't directed at the U.S. My speech was directed at my players. I wrote that speech six months ago, maybe, okay. We have been very consistent where we stand and what we play for. We're not concerned about what the U.S. are doing.