Luke Donald's unseen touch that propelled Europe to Ryder Cup victory over USA
Luke Donald fostered the strong family spirit in Team Europe by leaving dad jokes on the pillows of the players every night.
The jubilant European players showed their closeness by riding a rowdy party bus together back to their central Rome hotel on Sunday night instead of using a fleet of individual BMW cars on offer. And they continued the celebrations until 4am at the swanky Waldorf Astoria wearing their Ryder Cup pyjamas and smiles as wide as the nearby River Tiber.
But before going to bed much earlier at the beginning of the week, European stars could laugh themselves to sleep - or not - with the help of father-of-three Donald’s previously unseen sense of humour.
“I have only got to know Luke over the last year or so and he is a good, fun person and has been amazing this week,” said Shane Lowry. “Every night when we went back to our rooms we had a different dad joke on our beds on a little Ryder Cup card.”
Rory McIlroy recalled his favourite. “If you're an American in the living room, what are you in the bathroom? You’re a pee-ing! (European) That’s a proper dad joke. But little things like that all helped to build the team spirit.”
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Speaking in the foyer of the team hotel before flying home yesterday, the Ulsterman added: “It's actually these mornings are the hardest. You're having to say goodbye to people, you're not going to see them in a while. It's only a week, but you feel like you have become family in a way.
"So we're already making plans to all catch up in Dubai in a few weeks' time.”
After the LIV Golf breakaway splintered the sport wide open, Donald took his team on a bonding trip to Rome early last month and this week showed them emotional video messages from their own families.
“There was quite a lot of crying all week,” said Donald, who shed his own tears after the 16.5-11.5 win. “There was some in the team room on Monday night when we shared a lot of stories and passion and what the Ryder Cup means and that brings up emotions. I get emotional thinking about this now.
“I think it’s the best event in sport because we are not a team all the time and only come together once every two years. Golf’s quite lonely sometimes. You spend a lot of time on your own in hotel rooms. To have that team environment, I’m jealous of other sports sometimes as they get to do that a lot.”
Team Europe Captain Luke Donald lifts the Ryder Cup Trophy after Europe regained the Ryder Cup following victory over the USA on day three of the 44th Ryder Cup at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, Rome, Italy. Picture date: Sunday October 1, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story GOLF Ryder. Photo credit should read: David Davies/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.That passion extended to McIlroy rowing with American caddie Joe LaCava on Saturday night - and taking the fight into the car park before Lowry bundled him into a car. LaCava and McIlroy had a drink together on Sunday night as the two teams mixed.
But Donald admitted: “That raw emotion we saw two years ago when Rory cried, that raw emotion comes out. We try to use everything to our advantage and that was talked about in a positive way for our team.”
This attention to detail is why the players and the DP World Tour want Donald to take the job again in 2025.
“He is like a silent assassin isn’t he?” Lowry added. “He doesn’t say much but when he says it you listen. How he spoke in the opening ceremony filled us with confidence. If you have a captain that can open like he did in Italian it’s incredible. The Molinaris were impressed.”
The week ended with a mad journey home before the party. “The bus was probably the best part of the night to be honest,” croaked Lowry on the morning after the night before. “It was so much fun. The songs were going. We were like a football team after winning something. Bobby Mac was on fire. Then at the party, I had the shorts on, but pretty much everyone had pyjamas on.”
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Patrick Cantlay did not have a Team USA hat on all week but denied it was a protest against not getting paid at the Ryder Cup. But Donald was deadly serious about receiving financial reward for representing your country.
“I’m against it 100 percent,” he stated. “This is the purest form of our sport. We do play for money most weeks like every job, but this week is more about what true sport means and what true motivation is. It comes from intrinsic stuff, not external rewards.
"The reward is being together and sharing that journey. And making history.”
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