Luke Donald is happy, satisfied, and even surprised by the result of the Ryder Cup, but he remembers that the job is not yet finished. “We came to New York with the sole aim of winning away from home, something really complicated. We still need to score points to reach that figure of 14.5. We are close to the goal, but there is still a way to go. We know it will be very difficult this Sunday, and the goal we have set is to win all the sessions, including tomorrow’s singles,” he explained shortly after finishing Saturday afternoon’s fourballs with a score of 11.5 to 4.5 in favour of Europe, the largest margin since 1979 before the singles.
The result currently displayed on the overall Ryder Cup scoreboard was not part of his plans. Donald has no problem admitting it. “I didn’t expect to have such a big lead. Many things have gone well for us. I am very pleased with how strong our team is, the power, the fire, the intensity. It’s in a way the ‘antifragile’ mentality. Things got tougher out there, and that fired them up even more. They were able to improve in those difficult moments. That’s what makes me most proud as a captain: their ability to take hits and come back even stronger.”
In this regard, the Englishman did not hesitate to emphasise that the atmosphere was very hostile, although he did not want to make too much of it. He says it, he highlights it, but without making any drama. “It was noisy. It was tumultuous. For me, crossing the line is personal insults and making noises when they are trying to hit in the backswing or very close to the moment they are entering their routine. That happened a bit. But it has also happened in other Ryder Cups. It’s something we prepared for, and I think you can see how well they managed it,” he pointed out.
The ones who took the worst part were McIlroy and Lowry. Donald knows this, and that’s why he especially values how they managed to endure and overcome the tough time. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time. I think everyone has different ways of managing it. The stands have energy, and you can use it as you wish. It depends on how you approach it. There is a stimulus, a response, and in between is how you decide to face it. Some people find it motivating. Sometimes, having the crowd against you can be a motivation for some. Rory and Shane seemed to almost enjoy the difficult environment out there.”
The captain of Europe referred to the benching of Rasmus Hojgaard. He acknowledges it was not an easy decision, although he applauds the way the Dane took it. “We are not for a minute complacent with this American team. We knew they were going to come out strong, and they did. We kept it tight with a lot of clutch putting and some simply incredible shots. It was a very tough conversation to tell Rasmus he wasn’t playing. It’s one of those conversations you don’t want to have as a captain, leaving someone on the bench. But he took it like a champion, really. He understands that the team comes first, and we wanted to come out strong this afternoon, and we did.”
Regarding Hovland‘s situation, Luke Donald did not entirely clear up the uncertainty about his participation in Sunday’s singles. The Norwegian was a last-minute withdrawal from the afternoon fourballs due to neck discomfort. “He felt quite uncomfortable halfway through the round this morning. He received physiotherapy. He was given a lot of anti-inflammatories during the round. He finished. He felt fine. He went to rest and then returned to the practice field to try to hit some balls. And when he got to the driver, he hit one, and it hurt a lot. He hit another, and it hurt even more. It was at that moment he thought, ‘I’m not going to be able to play at the level I think I can.’ So it was a last-minute decision. Tyrrell literally warmed up for about ten minutes. We knew it was a possibility, but we hoped he could play. He is now on his way to have an MRI, about 20 or 30 minutes from here, and we’ll see how he is in the morning. He has certainly stiffened up a bit. He would love to play and will do everything possible to play,” he explained.
Regarding his legacy as captain, Donald used two words: humility and integrity. “The legacy is about winning and losing, of course, but for me, it’s more important what my teammates think of me, the way I do things, the preparation I put in, and the trust I have created within the team. I try to do things with humility and integrity. Integrity is, in reality, doing the things you say you are going to do. So I promised the team that I would prepare as best as possible for them over these last 19 months, and that is enough for me, whatever the outcome.”
