Luke Donald’s plan to stem the tide of Ryder Cup history and a series of one-sided home wins is becoming clearer. It will involve a two-day reconnaissance trip to Bethpage Black, the omission of Sergio García and tactics on dealing with the hostile New York crowd.
Europe’s captain is playing in the British Masters, the final qualifying event, with one automatic place still in doubt. That will go to Rasmus Hojgaard if he finishes tied 29th or better at the Belfry, or Shane Lowry if he fails to do so.
The six captain’s picks are also not far from being decided and if Hojgaard does make the automatic berths the 24-year-old is likely to be the only change to the team that won in Rome, with his twin brother, Nicolai, the solitary absentee from the 2023 line-up.
Europe are looking to snap a run of away losses with neither team having won on a rival course since 2012’s Miracle of Medinah
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND
Harry Hall, playing in the FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, still harbours hope of a pick but Donald’s selections look far easier than those facing his American counterpart Keegan Bradley, who is still to confirm if he will become the first player-captain since 1963.
Without having to worry about his own game, Donald laid out some of his captaincy plans. Europe will charter a plane to fly to New York immediately after the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth next month. The 12 players will then play nine holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday, and will be expected to stay in the United States until the Ryder Cup the following week.
“Some of those guys have places in America,” Donald, 47, said. “For me, it would be more ideal to stay in the United States rather than go back and forth and deal with jet lag. There will also be a chance for some of them to hang out for a two-week period.”
A Ryder Cup legend for Europe, García is struggling for form and has seemingly fallen out of Donald’s plans
PATRICK MCDERMOTT/GETTY IMAGES
That is a marked difference to the American approach two years ago, when many of the team had not played any competitive golf for five weeks between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup. In addition, not all of the team went on a reconnaissance visit to Rome.
Next month’s trip is considered a key part of planning because of the way Ryder Cup courses are set up to benefit the home team. The primary change to Bethpage Black from its appearance when staging majors will be the rough, which will be cut to around 2.5 inches; it can be double that during majors. Last year Bethpage Black’s course superintendent, Mike Hadley, said of Bradley: “He wants bombers.”
Europe have big-hitters, too, with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, but Matt Fitzpatrick, hoping to seal a pick with his display at the Belfry, said set-up was the main reason behind the run of home wins. “I think it’s getting out of hand and you’re playing two different styles of course,” he said.
“When I played at Hazeltine [in 2016], I didn’t really hit it out of [my own] shadow at that point, and that’s a disaster at that place.”
The hostility of the New York crowd will be another factor and Donald noted how Bob MacIntyre had shushed the most irritating fans during the third round at last week’s BMW Championship. Did he welcome that sort of interaction?
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“I’m going to have all those conversations once the team is set,” Donald said. “I’ve already had conversations with certain players to just get ready mentally for that cauldron. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since day one of the captaincy. How we react to the crowd is going to be a major feat, and certainly less is more.” He then added that he liked the fire in MacIntyre’s belly but said it was a case of “using it in the right way”.
Of those still hoping to force their way into Donald’s dozen it seems Hall, the 28-year-old Englishman, has a much better chance than García. The Spaniard, 45, is the Ryder Cup’s record points-scorer but his move to LIV Golf, and attendant comments, did not sit well with all, notably MacIntyre.
Donald does not give much away in his media addresses but dropped a heavy hint that García’s race was run. “At the US PGA Sergio said, ‘Even if he gave me a pick I probably wouldn’t take it, I’m not playing well enough.’ What he brings in terms of his Ryder Cup pedigree is one thing but his form would need to show a little bit more improvement.”
Donald offered more hope to Hall but denied the Cornishman’s claim that there had been no recent conversations. “I called him as recently as last week and he knows exactly where he stands,” he said. “He knows he’s playing great and he’s the best putter in the world statistically. Absolutely I’ve been in contact with him and I think his answer got misconstrued.”
Donald denied Hall’s claim that the pair had not recently spoken, adding the 28-year-old “knows where he stands”
LUKE WALKER/GETTY IMAGES
Donald also revealed he had invited Hall to play in the Team Cup in January, effectively a trial for Ryder Cup hopefuls, but the player had said he wanted to concentrate on establishing himself on the PGA Tour. “I’ve had many, many conversations with Harry, starting at the end of last year and I’ve had a couple of dinners with him,” Donald added.
Should Hall win the Tour Championship or Marco Penge make it back-to-back DP World Tour wins at the British Masters, the team could yet change, but Donald looks relaxed as the clock ticks down.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, who has not played a PGA Tour event for more than a year, will lead a new PGA Tour committee tasked with examining the competitive schedule and potentially introducing smaller fields and bigger prize pots.
Europe’s Ryder Cup team (qualifying ends on Sunday)Qualified Rory McIlroy, Bob MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton.Sixth in the rankings (last automatic place) Shane LowryLocks (with present Ryder Cup ranking) Sepp Straka (7), Ludvig Aberg (9), Viktor Hovland (10), Jon Rahm (23).Almost certain Matt Fitzpatrick (12)The rest Rasmus Hojgaard (8) – can overhaul Lowry by tying for 29th or better this week, Matt Wallace (11), Thomas Detry (13), Marco Penge (14), Aaron Rai (15), Harry Hall (17).Ryder Cup
Friday September 26 — Sunday September 28
Bethpage Black, New York
TV Sky Sports Golf