Luke Donald will still be on a massive high after leading Team Europe to Ryder Cup success at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
It was all the way back at the end of September and early October, but the 16½-11½ victory over the United States won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
The team captain is, however, now focusing on his individual game for the time being after that famous win in Rome.
A poor run of form before last week’s PGA Championship saw him miss his previous four cuts on the PGA TOUR.
But he played every round at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky, finishing in tied 68th place on two under.
Luke Donald drops new Ryder Cup hint
Donald has now turned his attention to the DP World Tour, with the Englishman currently in Belgium for the Soudal Open.
And it is a nation that the former world number one believes is full of talent as he prepares for next year’s Ryder Cup.
“I think it is very strong,” Donald said of the depth of talent from the nation, as per the official European Tour website.
“There are some good young Belgian players. Obviously, Thomas Detry finished fourth last week.
“Adrien Dumont de Chassart is a good up-and-coming player and Thomas Pieters has been a great player over the years so for such a small country it has some great players and the same [is the case] all over Europe.”
Team USA keen for revenge over Team Europe
The experienced players are not the only Belgians to have caught the eye of the Team Europe captain, with Donald enjoying a practice round earlier this week with 14-year-old Belgian amateur Arthur Haghedooren.
The youngster may just have an eye on a Ryder Cup place in the future, but Team Europe in 2025 is likely to contain many of the faces from the most recent tournament.
However, while the victory in Italy will live long in their memory, Donald and his team will be feeling the heat next time out.
New York’s Bethpage State Park is the venue for the iconic competition next September, where the home team will be extremely eager to enact their revenge.
Making it more difficult for the visitors is the current tussle between the PGA TOUR and LIV, with Donald reportedly pushing for a rule change regarding selection following Tyrrell Hatton’s switch to the latter.
The Team Europe captain himself has been indirectly involved in the LIV movement, with Polish golfer Adrian Meronk admitting that his snub in Rome swayed him towards the Saudi-backed tour.
How have Thomas Detry and the other Belgians got on this season?
As Donald alluded to, Detry had a fantastic time in Valhalla, finishing tied fourth with Collin Morikawa on 15 under.
He has impressed in 2024, with the 31-year-old securing four top-10 finishes and six top-25 finishes so far, as per the official PGA TOUR website.
Detry shone brightest at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, where he tied for second on his tournament debut.
Dumont de Chassart meanwhile has been in mixed form in 2024, with seven cuts made from his 14 events.
The 24-year-old has, however, carded two top-25 finishes and one top-10 finish, with the latter coming at the Puerto Rico Open, where he was tied sixth.
It has been a different story entirely for Pieters, who made the switch to LIV Golf in 2023. He is, however, currently back on the DP World Tour this week.
The 32-year-old has returned home to take part in the Soudal Open, having last featured on the tour in January last year, where he finished tied sixth at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
He goes into the tournament in good form, securing his highest finish of 2024 in tied-fifth in Singapore earlier this month.
The Belgian clinched a record for a European rookie at the Ryder Cup back in 2016, winning four points on his debut at Hazeltine.
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