Luke Donald, captain of the European team that this week will attempt to conquer Bethpage Black to retain the Ryder Cup champion title, revealed this Tuesday in his official press conference the good relationship he maintains with a true icon of American sports, Michael Jordan. A connection that dates back to when the British golfer attended university in Chicago, which has helped him learn and grow in many aspects related to sports and leadership.
“For me, it was very surreal. I grew up in England, so I wasn’t as aware of how huge he was, but I arrived at university in Chicago in 1997, at the end of his great streak, and there was nothing else talked about. You start watching more games and understanding the influence he had,” Donald began explaining. “I think we all watched the documentary The Last Dance when it came out, at the start of COVID, with nothing else to do but sit and watch great documentaries. And what I learned from Michael Jordan, and I think the documentary shows it, is that he was never going to ask his teammates to do something he wouldn’t do,” he added.
“Michael led by example. He led from the front. He was very passionate and very good at breaking down objectives into small, manageable goals. For example, when he wanted to achieve the scoring title and needed to average something like 38 points per game, he broke it down by quarters and simplified it. I think it’s a good analogy of what he represents,” Luke detailed. “But he also taught me that, although I think he won four or five scoring titles before winning a ring, you need your teammates. You can be a team of champions, but not a champion team. You always need the people around you. You are always stronger as a collective. And that’s something I have certainly learned from him and tried to implement in my teams these last two Ryders: we are always stronger together. These are solid values we try to uphold,” he asserted.
The European captain of the Ryder has had the opportunity to delve into all these aspects with Jordan himself, with whom he has a good friendship: “I’ve known Michael for a long time. Even at the end of my university days, in the early 2000s, I was able to play golf with him while I was in Chicago. We had mutual friends. He loved playing with good golfers, and I was lucky enough to join the group and we became friends. Now we live very close in Florida and remain good friends. I’ve been fortunate to access Michael and, from time to time, ‘pick his brain’: what drove him, what motivated him, how he brought out the best in himself…”.
However, Donald warns that all this information he has been able to gather from a basketball legend is also available to his rivals this week: “Michael is also very close to Keegan and I’m sure he might have also turned to Jordan a bit this past year. He won’t give me specific advice this time, but certainly, over the years, I’ve picked up many things from our friendship. It’s fantastic to be able to sit down from time to time with a legend of his sport, the greatest in history, one might say, and ask for advice. I think he’s here supporting this week, but I also think he’ll be wearing a United States cap.”
Luke took the opportunity during his media appearance to also talk about other aspects, such as the comedian who ‘teased’ his players earlier this year, the virtual reality glasses to get his team accustomed to the noise and the criticisms of the New York fans… “My job as captain is to prepare the guys for any scenario. Obviously, there are several players on our team who have experienced hostile crowds. Maybe not in New York, but we have experienced away environments, and we have certainly talked about it as a group: what have you learned, what do you think you did well, what do you think you would have changed… The crowd factor is certainly an aspect I’ve focused on, but I’ve tried to look at it from a very different angle, and that’s just one element of all the preparation to ensure these guys are ready and prepared to give their best, because that’s what they’re going to need this week.”
He also responded to questions about a post he made last year on Halloween: “My wife is the one who comes up with all those scenarios. We did an Italian theme when we were in Rome and thought it would be appropriate to do a New York theme this time. We want to embrace the places we go to, and I think that’s one of the great things about golf: we travel to so many places. I think we have enormous respect for New York and what it represents. It’s fantastic to have a Ryder Cup here. It was just a fun way to give a little nod to New York.”
The leadership of Rory McIlroy, who arrives at Bethpage Black as the brilliant winner of the Grand Slam after completing the four majors by winning the Masters last April, was another topic of conversation with the captain: “Rory loves what the Ryder Cup represents. You can see the excitement in both directions. When he lost in Wisconsin, tears flowed; he felt that, for the player he is, as a team leader, he needed to play better and thought he had let himself and the team down. That’s the kind of brotherhood we have. He sees himself as a leader, but also as one of the twelve. We try to talk a lot about that. We all have the opportunity to contribute to the team. Having someone of his calibre, with all he has achieved, is tremendous. But for him, the Ryder Cups are very, very important. He talked about how difficult it is to win a Ryder away, and I think if he could be on this team, on a winning team, it would make this year even better than it already is.”
The visit of Donald Trump to the Ryder did not go unnoticed in the European captain’s press conference either… “Every time a sitting president wants to come to an event, it shows how big the Ryder Cup is. You have to see it as a sign of respect. President Trump is, obviously, a great supporter of golf and knows many of the players this week; he has met with them before. I think you have to see it that way, as a sign of respect: that a sitting President wants to support an event when he has such a busy schedule. Finding time for it says something,” he noted.
Finally, he spoke about the advice he will give to the rookies on his team: “To embrace the week as much as possible. You never know when it will be the last. Even for me, looking back at 2012 in Medinah: I was world number 2 or 3 back then, I had the honour of going out first in the singles, and that was the last time I played a Ryder as a player. I never thought it would be like that. The game is very fickle, so, again, I remember my first Ryder in 2004, I was sitting at the opening ceremony next to Darren Clarke and he nudged me and said: ‘Once you play one, you won’t want to miss another.’ I think it’s about embracing the moment, embracing the week. It’s a crazy week. It’s something we don’t experience often. It comes every two years. It’s a bit like our Olympics. You prepare, fight all year to get into these teams. You have to enjoy the opportunity. I would also tell the rookies that being here is great, but now it’s their chance to contribute. Qualifying is one thing; you’re here to help the team.”
