Honor, privilege, team, pride, flag, colours, legacy, respect, admiration, purpose, honour and inspiration. These 12 words, a curious number for a Ryder Cup, articulated the magnificent speech delivered by Luke Donald at the opening ceremony of the 45th edition of the Ryder held at Bethpage. The Englishman conveyed emotion, respect, conviction and confidence. He has experience. He is a true leader and once again demonstrated it at the starting gun.
He had splendid words for the audience in New York. “I am aware that this week you will not be supporting us, but we will give everything to be a team to respect, admire and, why not, maybe in the end, even cheer for.” He described Bethpage as the people’s course and remembered those who were in the role before him and those who will come. It’s about honouring and inspiring, he assured.
Donald did not miss the opportunity to recall the financial aspect. Could it be understood as digs? Perhaps, given how the week has gone, it is legitimate to think so. But it is the reality. Europe does not charge nor intends to. It has always been said. This is not about prize money and is much more than what money can buy. The first point of the Ryder has been for Europe and its captain has won it. It’s a pity it doesn’t count for the final scoreboard.
On the other hand, Keegan Bradley has been less emotional. It’s down to personality. And it’s not because he hasn’t tried. He made a reference to his childhood, his connection with Bethpage, shared childhood anecdotes and explained how much it means to him to be captain of the United States. He has been very respectful to Europe and Luke Donald and did not take the opportunity to further rile up the audience. He has been calm. He played fair. It honours him.
Here we leave you the two full speeches with the presentation of the players included.
Luke Donald:
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and to all golf fans around the world: it is truly an honour to be here today as captain of the European Ryder Cup Team. Leading these 12 men again, 12 of Europe’s finest, remains one of the greatest privileges of my life.
This week we do not come to you as individual players from nine different nations, but as one team, a team defined by history, by unity and by the conviction that we play for something much bigger than ourselves.
The Ryder Cup means so much to each of us. It is unlike anything else in our sport.
It is not about prize money or world ranking points. It is about pride. It is about representing your flag, your colours and the legacy you leave.
We play for our families, for our teammates, for our countries, for our continent and for the generations that came before us and made this event what it is today.
The American team is, rightly, proud of its heritage, but so are we. Our European legacy is rooted in resilience, in camaraderie and in proving others wrong. Time and again we have shown that when we come together with a common purpose, we can achieve extraordinary things.
And what a place to try to do it again: New York! New York is a place where, if you come with talent and fighting spirit, the city will embrace you. Although maybe not if this week you are dressed in European blue.
We know what awaits us; Bethpage is not exactly shy. This is New York sports territory: passionate, loyal and fiercely loud, and rightly so.
You, the fans, value effort above ego. You embrace those who give their all, who fight and who rise to the big occasions. And you make us earn every cheer.
We may not be your team, but we will give you something to respect, something to admire and, maybe at the end of this week, something to cheer for.
Bethpage is the perfect stage for this duel: a public course, a state park, where thousands of fans gather shoulder to shoulder. It is a people’s course and a stage where players from both sides will try to prove they belong. Make no mistake: our players are ready. Each of them has earned their place, not by right, but by excellence. They have faced pressure and risen in key moments, and this week they will carry the hopes of an entire continent on their shoulders.
Two years ago we wrote a chapter in Rome. This week, in New York, we aspire to write history.
We have not come here just to be part of the spectacle. We have come to earn a place in Ryder Cup folklore. We do not play just to win: we play for each other and for every young golfer at home who dreams of one day representing Team Europe.
We know it will not be easy; winning away never is. Only four European teams have done it before. But that is the beauty of sport. The hardest paths lead to the greatest rewards.
We are driven by something money cannot buy: purpose, brotherhood and the responsibility to honour those who came before us and inspire those yet to come.
Before introducing the 12 men I believe will do it, I would like to give some thanks: to the Governor of the State of New York, Kathy Hochul; to Hope Knight, CEO of Empire State Development; and to Tom DiNapoli, State Comptroller: thank you for your incredible hospitality.
Also, thanks to Don Rea, Derek Sprague and everyone at the PGA of America for hosting us this week.
To Keegan, Jillian and your two children, Logan and Cooper: Diane and I have greatly valued your friendship over the years, and we know that bond will endure long beyond this week, whatever the outcome. It has been a pleasure to share this Ryder Cup captaincy with you. Thank you for your friendship and for all the memories along the way.
To the 12 players of the US Team: your talent and passion are never in doubt. We know you will give your best. We promise to do the same.
I also want to take a moment to thank the people behind the scenes who walk every step with us. Our caddies, who feel every shot, share every moment of pressure and bring clarity when chaos arrives. You are essential to our success. And to our incredible technical and support team: your tireless work, day in and day out, is what makes this team function. We are stronger because of you.
To the wives, partners and families of our players, thank you. Your support, patience and sacrifice allow these men to compete at the highest level. We know the Ryder Cup is not just a big week for the players; it is for you too.
And, of course, to my own family: to my wife, Diane, and my daughters Gigi, Sophia and Elle, thank you for always being by my side. Your love and support mean everything to me, and I love you very much.
I would now like to introduce my five vice-captains, who play such an important role in everything we do. First, from Denmark, Thomas Björn; from Italy, the Molinari brothers, Edoardo and Francesco; from Sweden, Alex Noren; and finally, from Spain, José María Olazábal.
Now, let me introduce you to these 12 men I am so proud to lead this week: from Sweden, Ludvig Åberg; from England, Matt Fitzpatrick; from England, Tommy Fleetwood; also from England, Tyrrell Hatton; from Denmark, Rasmus Højgaard; from Norway, Viktor Hovland; from Ireland, Shane Lowry; from Scotland, Robert McIntyre; from Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy; from Spain, Jon Rahm; from England, Justin Rose; and finally, from Austria, Sepp Straka.
These 12 men are ready. Europe is ready. Enjoy the Ryder Cup and see you, bright and early, on Friday morning.
Keegan Bradley:
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. To say I never expected to be here as Ryder Cup captain is an understatement. When I got the call, I was stunned, but more than that, I was honoured: honoured to lead this team, honoured to represent our country and honoured to share this experience with my friend, Luke Donald.
For someone who grew up in this game, this moment is surreal. My father, Mark, is a proud PGA of America professional. My aunt Pat is a legend of the LPGA and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. For us, golf is the family business.
But the Ryder Cup became personal for me in 1999, at Brookline. I was 13 years old, on my father’s shoulders, and I saw Justin Rose’s miraculous putt drop on the 17th. When the crowd erupted on the 18th, my father let me join the celebration. That was the moment when golf stopped being a game and became a vocation. That day changed my life.
I am from New England, but I studied at St. John’s. It was there that I fell in love with New York.
We have come a long way from 166th Street and Utopia Parkway, in Queens, haven’t we? The grit, the hustle, the pace of the city taught me to compete, to lead and what it feels like to have passion for a cause. There is nothing like the city of New York.
Yes, the stories are true. My teammates and I used to play Bethpage Black when it was closed on Mondays. We would park by the maintenance shed and play the “inner loop,” holes 3 to 14. One day, in my senior year, my teammate George Lotus and I decided to cross the road to play 15, 16, 17 and 18, the holes we really wanted to play and had not been allowed to access in four years. We were young, passionate and convinced we were invisible. It turned out we were not.
The park service arrived. We got into a bit of trouble. But it was worth it. Ask anyone from the Nassau Players Club how special it is to play Bethpage Black.
These memories —Brookline, Bethpage, New York— shaped me. But they also taught me something deeper: that golf, at its best, is more than a game.
The Ryder Cup is not just golf: it is pride. It is legacy. It is standing shoulder to shoulder with your teammates, believing in each other, fighting for each other and understanding that this is bigger than any of us.
As we prepare to step onto the tee on Friday, I want to thank the people who have made this journey possible. To Governor Hochul; to the New York State Parks teams, New York State Police, local law enforcement, emergency services and the Empire State Development Corporation: thank you for your unwavering support and tireless work to prepare Bethpage Black and help us deliver a truly Ryder Cup-worthy experience.
To my wife, Jillian: your love, your strength and your faith in me make everything possible. Thank you for being my rock and the heart of our home for Logan and Cooper.
To the wives and partners of our US team members, thank you for your sacrifices. With your support and constant presence, this journey is yours too. To the PGA of America, I am deeply grateful for entrusting me with this responsibility and this incredible honour. Don and Derek, thank you.
To the many past captains who have supported me through this process: I have learned so much from each of you. Thank you for being so generous with your time. To the great Larry Nelson, thank you for agreeing to be our Ryder Cup ambassador. Having you close to our team this week inspires us to give our best on and off the course.
To our vice-captains —Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker and Gary Woodland— your wisdom and leadership have prepared us for this moment.
To our caddies: you are the heart of this team. You carry much more than bags. You carry confidence, strategy and all of us. Let’s give them a big round of applause. Thank you, caddies.
To the European team and everyone involved in Ryder Cup Europe, thank you. Your passion elevates this competition. To Luke Donald and his wife, Diane, thank you for your friendship. Luke, you are the ultimate professional and competitor. When I came onto the Tour, you were the world number 1, and yet you always found time for me, and I will never forget it.
You lead with serene strength and undeniable class, and I deeply admire that.
To my St. John’s teammates, Coach Darby and my best friends, thank you for being here.
To Dr. Glenn Muraca: after my senior year at St. John’s, I worked in the bag room at Wheatley Hills Golf Club, not far from here. “Doc” was a member and saw something in me, and when I needed help the most, you were there. To Wheatley Hills and “Doc,” thank you. You helped make this career and this moment possible.
To our 12 players: you are united in a way I have never seen. I have learned so much from you: about how to live, how to compete and how to lead. You have changed me as a player and as a person. You inspire me every day.
Being your captain is the honour of my life. Thank you. We know the atmosphere this weekend will be electric, loud and, yes, respectful. That is part of what makes the Ryder Cup so special on both sides of the Atlantic. I have never forgotten what I felt running onto that green at Brookline, seeing a team come together in a way that changed my life. That moment ignited a fire in me, and this week, that same Ryder Cup fire will fuel our team. It will drive us in every match, in every moment and against every challenge.
It is the fire that lives in every boy or girl with an impossible dream, and it is the fire that makes the Ryder Cup unlike anything else in sport. Over the next three days, we will play with heart, with honour and with every dream ignited by the fire of this competition, because the Ryder Cup not only tests skill: it reveals the soul.
We are on a mission to reclaim the Ryder Cup. We face a formidable opponent. The challenge will be fierce. The pressure will be real.
And now, it is an honour to present to you the 2025 United States Ryder Cup team. From Louisiana, Sam Burns; from California, Patrick Cantlay; from Texas, Bryson DeChambeau; from Georgia, Harris English; from Georgia, Russell Henley; from North Carolina, Ben Griffin; from California, Collin Morikawa; from California, Xander Schauffele; from California, J. J. Spaun; from Kentucky, Justin Thomas; from New Jersey, Scottie Scheffler; from New York, your very own Cameron Young.
I came to Bethpage as an 18-year-old kid with a dream, but not even in that dream did I get this far. Returning now as Ryder Cup captain far exceeds anything I ever imagined. Bethpage Black is known as the “People’s Country Club.” It has been called New York’s home course. But this week, with your passion and your energy, you will make it America’s home course.
Thank you. Go USA!
