Ahead of the Ryder Cup, Luke Donald looked around the sports world for inspiration. Photo: PA/Zach Goodwin
Whatever positive results Luke Donald enjoys As for this week's Ryder Cup, the least the humble Englishman can say is that his captaincy has inspired America's most famous fan — and perhaps This country's most competitive sports icon is backing the home team to victory.
“I had dinner with Michael Jordan a few weeks ago,” Donald says. “And he predicted victory for the Europeans. But don't tell the US team that.”
Jordan attended his first Ryder Cup in 1997 and over the past quarter century has become a fairly large and ubiquitous mascot. In 2012, he famously gave Ian Poulter a «little kick to the chest» in the fairway as the Postman was making another point, and four years later, Davis Love III became the Stars and Stripes' official lover, naming the basketball legend vice president. -captain.
However, for the first time in 26 years, Jordan will not be present in Rome. “He won’t come,” Donald says. «He told me something had happened.»
Perhaps Jordan — the American paradigm of the ultimate «winner» — has finally become angry at being associated with failure, having seen his team lose on foreign soil six times while the US void in Europe stretched 30 years.
< p>And perhaps MJ saw Donald, his friend and neighbor in South Florida, presiding over a case that seemed hopeless when he was appointed as an emergency replacement for LIV defector Henrik Stenson, but now, 14 months later, has become a mission filled progress and optimism.
When Donald took the reins, Europe had one representative in the top five countries in the world. They head to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club on Monday, with three finishing in the top four. Viktor Hovland made decisive strides, and Ludwig Aberg came out of nowhere. Judging by the last 10 tournaments, each of the dozen Donalds looks to be in good shape.
Luke Donald playing alongside Lee Westwood at the 2012 tournament. Ryder Cup in Medina. Photo: Getty Images/Jamie Squire
“Yeah, we're trending pretty well,” says Donald. “They are playing well and I like the composition of our team. We have some superstars; We have a great core of great players as well as youngsters with huge potential. The future is bright and with these guys anything is possible.
“But we are suffering the worst defeat that has ever happened and the Americans will be betting on the favorites. We will never underestimate Americans. They are very strong and they have great partnerships, winning partnerships. They have partnerships that, you know, have a win rate of 85 to 90 percent, which is unheard of. So, our hands are full, but I certainly feel very, very good.”
Is not it? After being turned down for the role the first time, Donald made the most of his unexpected opportunity, and Jordan, star of Netflix's The Last Dance, knows all about second-chance opportunities.
«It's not my style to go down that route.» “,” Donald replies when asked if he was disappointed when Stenson was chosen. “I was disappointed, then I was given a second opportunity and I planned to make the most of it. When I got the call, I felt a mixture of excitement and “Wow, can I do this?” I'm ready? Can I suddenly become a captain at this age? I was 44 years old.”
The answer was a resounding «yes» and while it's natural for a player to praise his captain before the match, Rory McIlroy was impressed. “Luke was fantastic. I mean, he took the job under very strange circumstances, but he took it in his stride,” McIlroy said. «We're very pleased with the work he's done to get it back on track.»
Except that, according to Donald, this was not a rescue operation and would not be hidden behind any damage. Jordan recognizes the steel in his regular golf partner, a belief that belies his calm exterior. This Rome team has a no-excuses philosophy.
Michael Jordan at the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris as a spectator Photo: AP /Alastair Grant
“MJ is right,” Donald says. “You have to be a little ruthless and be prepared. I mean, I'm a very detail-oriented person. I'm not an eccentric person. There must be a plan. There must be steps. How do we get there?»
«Look, I'm not thinking about losing. You prepare as best you can, go out and take care of what you can, and hopefully the win will take care of itself. I know I've been in this position for 14 months, but this process has taken two years. I mean, on Sunday night in Whistling Streets, I was talking to Paul McGinley about what needs to change.»
Donald took advice from a variety of captains, including Padraig Harrington, the 2021 team captain who oversaw that record-breaking 19-9 turnaround. Thomas Bjorn (2018) and Jose Maria Olazábal (2012) are two of his co-captains, and Donald even goes so far as to call Peter McAvoy, “my captain on two Walker Cups.”
However, it received its greatest guidance from Bernhard Langer, its first leader in 2004. Not just from the phone call, but from the detailed journal entries the young 26-year-old rookie made that week during his rousing victory in Detroit.
“I'm impressed by how much detail he had then, because the few statistics available are not nearly as complete as they are now,” he says. «I often wake up in the middle of the night with a lot of thoughts, write them down and think to myself, 'I remember this, right?' He did an amazing job. We all felt very comfortable playing for him. I knew where I was, I knew what I needed to do, I knew my role. I think clarity and consistency are really important. Those are the traits I tried to embody.”
Donald is not one to brag, but his players should be aware of his Ryder Cup playing record. He appeared in four matches, was part of the winning team four times, and had an individual win rate of 70 percent, the best of any golfer to play in four or more matches since GB&I became Europe in 1979. Donald was number one in the world for four different periods, totaling more than a year. But humility rings true.
“I had a pretty solid individual career, got a few wins [17] and became number one in the world,” he says. “But you know, the moments I had with those teammates stick with me longer. You remember them more because of the shared culture you can experience with each other. That's why this will be the greatest moment of my career.»
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