Team USA has moved down to the far end of the range.
GAINESVILLE, Va. – There aren’t team rooms here at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. The two sides are enjoying the use of two sprawling cottages this week, which are situated next to the driving range.
Controversy is nothing knew to the Solheim Cup, however, and it seems that Team Europe’s digs, which are smaller than the USA’s, have caused a bit of a stir.
Jamie Weir from Sky Sports reported that the U.S. took issue with the fact that Europe had utilized some of the hitting bays in their cottage, which went against the rules written in the event’s contract. They also set up tables and chairs outside their cottage on the driving range, which also isn’t allowed.
Stacy Lewis, when speaking with the press on Wednesday, downplayed the issue though she called the closeness of the two houses “awkward.”
“The inside of their cottage doesn’t have a lot of room for tables, so their tables have to be outside, said Lewis. “It was just our players were warming up, and they’re there eating breakfast and talking. We were just trying to get everybody some space so they didn’t have to listen to them eating breakfast. That’s all.
“There’s no bad beef. It’s just trying to, instead of having to listen to breakfast conversations.”
Team USA has moved down to the far end of the range.
“Us coming on the U.S. soil, the U.S. gets to pick their team room before we do,” said Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist. “I don’t know if they’re happy with their choice, but we’re obviously very happy to be right there on the range.”
U.S. assistant captain Angela Stanford called it a non-story.
“I said to the girls this makes me feel good,” said Stanford. “Because if this is the best thing they’re coming up with, we’re doing great.
“Every time we play, they search for something to get them fired up, to get them unified.”
“Merry Christmas from everyone at Ryder Cup Europe,” said captain Luke Donald, “and a happy two more years.”
When it comes to online content, the DP World Tour has dominated on social media compared to other tours and golf’s governing bodies. That’s why it’s no surprise that Ryder Cup Europe shared a hilarious video on Saturday.
In the video, winning 2023 captain and future 2025 captain Luke Donald is seen polishing one of seven Ryder Cups (most likely to represent the seven victories Team Europe has in the biennial bash against the Americans in the last 20 years).
“Merry Christmas from everyone at Ryder Cup Europe,” Donald said, “and a happy two more years.”
The 2025 event will be held Sept. 25–28 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York. As mentioned earlier, Donald will return for two more years as the captain of the Europeans, while the U.S. have yet to announce a captain.
The video paid homage to some of the best chants from the 2023 edition in Italy – where the Europeans dominated – including Team Europe and Rory McIlroy’s celebration song, “the USA is terrified, Europe’s on fire.”
“Great opportunities don’t come along very often in life.”
Luke Donald has been named as the European Captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York.
The 45-year-old Englishman returns to the role having led Europe to a 16½ – 11½ victory against the United States in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy, earlier this year.
He will become Europe’s first repeat captain since Bernard Gallacher performed the role in three consecutive Ryder Cups in 1991, 1993 and 1995.
Donald will be aiming to become only the second captain to lead Europe to victories both home and away, following Tony Jacklin, who achieved the double at Muirfield Village in Ohio in 1987, retaining the Ryder Cup following his team’s victory two years previously at The Belfry, in England, in 1985.
“Great opportunities don’t come along very often in life, and I’m a great believer that when they do, you need to grab them with both hands – this is one of these moments,” Donald said. “I’ve been fortunate as a player to have had many amazing times in the Ryder Cup over the years and so to add being a winning Captain to that, to form bonds with the 12 players like we did in Italy and to get the result we did, was very special indeed.
“The Ryder Cup means so much to me, so to be Captain again and have the chance to create more history by becoming only the second European Captain to win back-to-back is exciting.
Team Europe captain Luke Donald arrives at the first tee during day one foursomes round for the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
“There is no question that being a Captain away from home is a tough task. But I have never shied away from challenges throughout my career and it is precisely the kind of thing that motivates me. I can’t wait to get another 12-strong team to Bethpage in 2025.”
Initially, Donald was overlooked as 2023 Ryder Cup captain as Europe selected Sweden’s Henrik Stenson for the job, but Stenson was stripped of the honor when he bolted for LIV Golf, the upstart league. Donald was the second choice then, but he’s clearly the first choice now, and Team Europe decided not to wait to see whether any of the European players who departed for LIV and had previously appeared to be in the pipeline for captaincy, such as Lee Westwood or Ian Poulter, would return to the fold.
Donald was a member of the last European Team to win on American soil at Medinah Country Club in 2012, when he led Jose Maria Olazabal’s side out in the singles, securing the first blue point on the board in one of the most famous comebacks in the history of the biennial contest.
During his playing career, he represented Europe in the Ryder Cup four times as a player, being part of a winning team on all four occasions, contributing 10½ points from his 15 matches.
He then served as a vice captain in 2018, under Thomas Bjorn, and Padraig Harrington in 2021, before becoming captain for the first time at the 2023 contest in Rome.
Donald has won five times on the PGA Tour and another eight times on the DP World Tour and ascended to No. 1 in the world for a total of 56 weeks. In 2011, he became the first player in history to top the money lists on the European Tour (now the DP World Tour) and the PGA Tour in the same year.
“I have had a nice individual career; I have accomplished a significant amount as a player. My most special moments have been in The Ryder Cup editions, and being able to share that in a team atmosphere,” Donald said. “[Being captain] felt like a lifetime achievement award when I found out that I was given the honor and privilege to be nominated as captain. It is something that I do not take lightly. I think about it every day and more specifically around what we can do to give our team the best chance of success and to build that right culture and environment…Everyone knows how special The Ryder Cup has been as part of my career and this is an opportunity of a lifetime. It is a big responsibility but I am going to try and enjoy the journey.”
More than 270,000 people from 100 different countries attended the 2023 Ryder Cup to watch the Europeans defeat the Americans, 16½-11½, and reclaim the cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome, Italy.
Even more watched from home.
On Tuesday, Ryder Cup Europe shared early numbers that showed a rise in average viewership on Sky Sports, particularly in the United Kingdom, which saw a 38 percent increase compared to the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits and a 25 percent increase from the last European-hosted Cup in 2018 at Le Golf National near Paris.
“The 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy once again underlined the global appeal and continued growth of one of the world’s leading sporting events,” said Guy Kinnings, Executive Director of the Ryder Cup. “This year’s contest, played against the backdrop of the historic city of Rome, truly connected with fans around the world, and our early figures show significant increases in engagement even from the recent record-breaking editions.”
While the 2023 edition was the most watched Ryder Cup ever on Sky Sports, the NBC Sports coverage in the United States left fans wanting more.
Not even two hours into the coverage of the Friday foursomes matches and television viewers who were awake at 1 a.m. ET for the start were already fed up with the coverage (or lack thereof).
Airing on USA Network, the broadcast missed the introductions and tee shots from the third match of Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka vs. Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa and showed more commercials than golf shots. This year’s broadcast featured a score bug in the bottom right of the screen that showed the matches and live results, which was a nice innovation, except when the coverage didn’t provide context for how those scores came to be.
The 2025 Ryder Cup, the 45th playing of the biennial bash between the U.S. and Europe, will be held at Bethpage Black in New York.
Is the Ryder Cup due for a close contest? Which new stars will shine? Will fans become a storyline?
Is it 2025 yet?
For golf fans across the globe the countdown to the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, has already started despite the fact the 44th playing of the biennial bash between the United States and Europe is just one day in the rearview mirror.
For American fans, they want to wash away the embarrassing performance at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy last week. As for the European supporters, they want to ride the momentum of another win at home and avenge the historic loss at Whistling Straits in 2021.
A lot can happen over two years, especially in golf, but don’t let that get in the way of a fun thought exercise. Here are some way, way too early predictions for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
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“Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it was conquered in three.”
That was one of many posts on the Ryder Cup Europe social media accounts to celebrate the team’s 16½-11½ win over the United States in the 44th playing of the biennial bash, held this year at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome, Italy.
The team celebrations with the Cup in the hours and days that follow are always fun to see, and European captain Luke Donald foreshadowed what would be a fun night in his interview with Golf Channel’s Cara Banks just minutes after Europe secured the Cup.
“We always do it right in Europe, we do it right,” said Donald with a smile. “We’ll have a few drinks.”
Did they ever.
The chants started with “Two more years!” for the captain and transitioned to cheers of “Ole! Ole! Ole!” and songs of victory on the team bus. Check out the highlights from Team Europe’s epic Ryder Cup celebrations.
Only one player earned four points this week and just one went home pointless.
The Europeans are back on top.
After a historic loss two years ago Team Europe dominated the 2023 Ryder Cup to reclaim the trophy with a 16½-11½ victory over the three days of play at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome in Italy.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy was the only player to score four points this week (4-1-0), while four players went unbeaten: Tyrrell Hatton (3-0-1), Viktor Hovland (3-0-1) Jon Rahm (2-0-2) and Robert MacIntyre (2-0-1).
Here’s a breakdown of how each player fared this week by session at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy.
Team Europe entered Sunday with a considerable lead in the Ryder Cup after dominating the Friday and Saturday Foursomes, but Team USA still had a slim chance to make what would have been the greatest final-day comeback in the tournament’s history.
Tommy Fleetwood put an end to that possibility with a 3 and 1 win over Rickie Fowler to clinch the title. Team Europe went on to win 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 to defend its home turf at Marco Simone Golf Club and reclaim the Ryder Cup after losing the last tournament on U.S. soil in 2021.
Fans were ecstatic about the result and showed their pride by jumping in the water.
Check out the Sunday singles match results from the 2023 Ryder Cup, where the session was split 5-5-2.
It’s been all Team Europe all week long in Italy at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
The Europeans, led by Luke Donald, entered Sunday singles on the final day of play at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome with a 10½-5½ advantage over Team USA and will need just four points to reclaim the Cup. On the flip side, Zach Johnson’s American side will need to complete the biggest comeback in the history of the biennial event and claim 8½ points to retain the Cup.
Here’s a breakdown of each of the 12 Sunday singles matches at the 2023 Ryder Cup, updated as they finish.
The incident then spilled over to the parking lot at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, where a visibly heated McIlroy needed to be restrained by teammate Shane Lowry as American caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay approached to discuss what happened.
Before Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm began the opening match of Sunday singles, Golf Channel reported that McIlroy and LaCava had mended fences after the dust-up on the 18th green. Steve Sands reported LaCava reached out to McIlroy’s camp on the car ride home from the course and texted the group, “I love you guys and respect all of you.”
McIlroy’s team reportedly said they felt the same way, which led to LaCava asking for a face-to-face meeting with McIlroy on Sunday morning. According to Sands, that brief meeting happened, and “everything’s been diffused.”
Well, McIlroy begs to differ. After his 3-and-1 singles victory over Sam Burns, Golf Channel’s Cara Banks asked McIlroy about the meeting with LaCava, and the four-time major champion said it didn’t happen.
“I haven’t met Joe,” said McIlroy, shaking his head.
“I was focused. I was very focused,” he said of his mindset entering the final match. “I let it fuel me, I didn’t let it take away from what’s been a fantastic week. I used that little incident last night to my advantage.”
