COOL BAND, LUKE
Donald tells Yanks that team spirit, not Majors, is key to Ryder Cup glory
LUKE DONALD warned the USA that holding all the Majors will mean nothing at the Ryder Cup after being named as a surprise vicecaptain yesterday.
Skipper Thomas Bjorn also added Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowel l and Padraig Harrington to his backroom staff for the September showdown in France.
Team USA, who boast the three top players in the world, currently have possession of all the Major and WGC titles – as well as the Ryder Cup – and Bjorn insisted Europe were often underdogs in the biennial clash.
But 40-year-old Donald, who is undefeated in his four Ryder Cup appearances, said: “We know the US Team are very strong and they hold the Major championships but winning a Major individually is very different to playing in the Ryder Cup in a team atmosphere.
“We know they are going to field a very strong team and will be very confident but I think we’ve proven over the last 20 years that we can compete at a team level in a Ryder Cup. We haven’t lost on European soil since 1993.
“I think we have to look at what we have as a strength. As vice-captains, we bring a lot of experience. I have been on four teams, four winning teams, and I hope that experience can help Thomas.” Donald (left, helping Europe to Ryder Cup glory in Dublin in 2006) became world No.1 at the BMW PGA in 2011 but is now down to world No.226 and is currently sidelined with a back injury.
McDowell, 38, is world No.239 but the Ulsterman has the experience of winning two French Opens at Le Golf National – and holing the winning putt in 2010. “We’re very good coming together and creating team spirit and camaraderie,” said GMac. Westwood, who has teed up in 10 successive Ryder Cups, said he “jumped at the chance” to be a vice-captain.
“I think it’s a really strong side the way it’s shaping up and over this summer period there’s going to be a real fight for places,” said the 45-year-old.
“That’s what you want, coming right down to the end when the pressure’s on – you’ll see who’s got the taste for the fight and that’s exactly what you need when you step on that first tee in Paris.”
Liverpool fan Bjorn, who named Swede Robert Karlsson as his first assistant, said he had no worries about the European crowds after American heckling in Hazeltine in 2016.
“History will tell us that our golf fans are the greatest golf fans in the world,” said the 47-year-old Dane.