Luke Donald has admitted he was taken by surprise after captaining Europe to a famous Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black.
The Englishman, who became only the second captain in history to lead Europe to back-to-back triumphs, revealed that the scale of his team’s performance exceeded even his own expectations. Europe stunned the United States with a 15–13 win on hostile American soil, silencing the raucous New York crowd and extending the USA’s long wait for a victory on European terms.
Speaking after Rory McIlroy sealed the decisive point, Donald confessed:
“I knew we had a strong team, but you can never fully prepare for the atmosphere at Bethpage. I’ll be honest – I didn’t expect us to control the contest the way we did. The lads were phenomenal, and their resilience under that pressure was beyond what I imagined.”
Donald was quick to highlight the role of Europe’s star players, with McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, and Tommy Fleetwood all stepping up in key moments. He also praised rookies like Ludvig Åberg, who delivered points in critical matches, calling the blend of youth and experience “the perfect formula.”
The U.S. team, captained by Keegan Bradley, had entered the event as narrow favourites, buoyed by the home advantage and a lineup featuring world No.1 Scottie Scheffler. But Donald admitted Europe had used the underdog tag to their advantage.
“We came here knowing we weren’t expected to win, but that gave us freedom,” Donald said. “We played fearless golf and fed off each other’s energy. Once we got momentum, we never let it go.”
Attention now turns to 2027 at Adare Manor in Ireland, where Europe will look to defend their crown again. For Donald, though, the satisfaction of outsmarting the Americans on their own turf will linger long.
“This one means more than Rome,” he smiled. “Winning away is the hardest thing to do in the Ryder Cup. And these guys made it look easy.”
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