Luke Donald is looking to achieve a rare feat at Bethpage and become the first European captain to win on US soil in 13 years.
Who can forget what happened at Medinah back in 2012? José María Olazábal’s team won five of the first seven singles matches to claw back a 10-6 deficit and pull off the most unlikely of comebacks. Martin Kaymer sunk the decisive putt, and after Tiger Woods conceded his match to Nicolas Colsaerts, the USA’s misery came to an end.
Unfortunately for Europe, away Ryder Cups since haven’t been as fruitful. Darren Clarke’s men were comfortably beaten at Hazeltine in 2016, and Padraig Harrington’s side were thrashed 19-9 at Whistling Straights.
In Europe’s two away Ryder Cups since 2012, the spirit of Medinah hasn’t been seen.
Rory McIlroy details European ‘advantage’ at Bethpage
The 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah was the first edition of the event since the sad passing of Seve Ballesteros. At the time, Olazábal used his compatriot as inspiration, and his 12-man team responded.
Speaking ahead of the 2025 Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy revealed that Ballesteros is still used as motivation.
“And I said to Javier up here, the legacy that his dad left on not just European golf but global golf, I mean, it will live on forever,” McIlroy explained.
“Our whole motivation, our whole thing that we rally around on the Ryder Cup team, is Seve, and we feel like we have an advantage because of that. Because honestly, the Americans don’t have a character like that to rally around. So I think we’re very lucky that we’ve got Seve to do that with.”
European Ryder Cup preparations are underway
With the European qualification period well underway, the race is on to make Donald’s 12-man roster. McIlroy leads the European Ryder Cup points list and is joined by Rasmus Hojgaard, Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Wallace, Paul Waring and Niklas Norgaard.
But, with the likes of Hatton set to play on LIV in 2025 and the PGA Tour season starting, the list promises to change over the next nine months.
Last week, the Team Cup was also held in Abu Dhabi. Donald watched the best European talent as GB and Ireland cruised to a comprehensive victory over Continental Europe.
Frenchman Matthieu Pavon was the standout player for Continental Europe, and Paul McGinley has tipped the 32-year-old to make the 2025 team.
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