Luke Donald: European Ryder Cup team better now than during 2023 triumph

Europe captain Luke Donald believes his Ryder Cup team are better now than when they won in Rome two years ago.

Europe swept to a comprehensive 16.5-10.5 victory over the United States in Italy in 2023 and returning skipper Donald has picked 11 of the 12 players again for this year’s instalment at Bethpage Black in New York.

The only fresh face is Rasmus Hojgaard, who replaces his twin brother Nicolai and was also part of the set-up at the Marco Simone Club.

With the likes Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland regularly competing at the top of the game, Donald believes his European team have improved.

“I think statistically there are some guys who are a lot better players than they were in Rome,” he said.

“But we understand that it’s going to be a big challenge, but I am very excited about my team, where we are, the form we have coming into this and I’m excited about getting going on Friday.

“It’s a very similar team, which is unusual. It’s never happened in the history of our Ryder Cup teams in Europe, to have 11 come back. So we have a lot of cohesion.

“I think part of a captain’s job is to try and form the team. It’s to try and get these guys together and kind of bonding and being a team.

“I certainly haven’t had to work that hard with these guys because of what we did two years ago.

“Even Rasmus was on the buggy for Nicolai and spent time there.”

Europe will have to be at their best to retain the trophy, with seven of the United States’ team occupying the top 10 in the world rankings.

Number one Scottie Scheffler is their star player after an incredible year and Donald described opposite number Keegan Bradley’s side as a “bunch of superstars”.

“I’m sure the US are very strong too,” the 47-year-old said. “You just look at the talent the US have, they have the best player in the world. He’s doing incredible things.

“They have a bunch of superstars, as well.”

History is against Europe, who have lost three of the last four meetings on American soil and needed the ‘Miracle of Medinah’ in 2012 to claim an unlikely win.

Their last outing on this side of the Atlantic ended in a record 19-9 hammering at Whistling Straits four years ago, while defeats at Hazeltine in 2016 and Valhalla in 2012 were not close either.

Donald was dressed in salmon pink on Monday, in homeage to the historic 1987 win in Ohio – Europe’s first victory on American soil.

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He said: “I think it’s always important to rally around something. We always have things that we come up with that are important to us.

“History and our unity and celebrating what we’ve done in the past and the legends that have kind of come before us is really important.

“This is going to be a difficult challenge. We haven’t come close to winning three out of the last four away Ryder Cups. It’s not been very close at all. That’s my job to bridge that gap.

“But we have won quite a few times. We’ve won four times away since 1987 and come close a few other times as well.”