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The Ryder Cup was to be played on Bethpage Black last September, but the pandemic exposed it one year.
But now Golffans is finally in a state of countdown until Team USA and Team Europe are fighting Long Island.
While golfers may not grow up necessarily wanting to win Ryder Cups (these are the majors that really make up a legacy), the emotions come out every other September.
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Luke Donald, Captain of Team Europe, lifts the Ryder Cup trophy after victory with 16 and a half to 11 and a half victory during the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on October 1, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
But for Luke Donald, Team Europe’s captain, the Ryder Cup has always meant something.
“To be honest when I grew up, one of my first memories is to see the Ryder Cup in 1987, which was the first time Team Europe won on American soil, so it had a big impact on me as a child,” Donald Pakinomist told Digital in a recent interview.
“Some of my most special memories of golf courses are in Ryder Cups because you get to share it with the guys, it’s such a fun week, the atmosphere it creates. People who don’t follow golf like to put in the Ryder Cup for what it represents. It’s a tough rivalry, it has got a great story and history behind it, and all the golfers are The experience of doing it and preparing and trying to give the team the best opportunity for success.
The road team has not won a Ryder Cup since Team Europe’s miracle in Medinah in 2012, as they overcome a 10-4 deficit on Sunday singler (the United States has not won on European soil since 1993). In five Ryder cups since then, the homeland has won the cup, all in a rather compelling way.
The closest matches of this period have been the five-point gains of Europe in 2014 at Gleneagles in Scotland and the 2023 victory in Rome.
Donald knows that “New York will be loud and clear”, but it’s his job to fight it.
Ryder Cup Trrophy Bethpage State Park Black Course on June 6, 2016 in Farmingdale, New York. (Gary Kellner/PGA of America)
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“The biggest advantage is the support you get from the home crowd. We see it in all sports. It was a big advantage in Rome and it will be a disadvantage in New York. And I have to try to get in ways to spread it,” he said.
The best way to do that is, of course, by building the best possible team. And although Liv Golf has forced its wrinkles to the event, the plan is to have 2023 Team Europe Hero and two-time great champion Jon Rahm at Bethpage later this year.
“Jon is a member of the European tour he is eligible to be elected, and still one of our best players. Unless his form drastically starts, I expect him to be there for us,” he said.
Brooks Koepka was Captain’s election in 2023 thanks to his victory at the PGA championship and second place at Masters. He qualified narrowly based on points alone, which is pretty impressive, considering that life players trying on Team USA can only earn points in majors.
However, Koepka was the only life golf player in that year’s tournament. In fact, Donald Europe’s captain after Henrik Stenson was removed from his role by the European tour after his rejection to life.
Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm from Team Europe celebrate after victory with 16 and a half to 11 and a half win after Sunday Singles matches in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club on October 1, 2023 in Rome, Italy. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Liv players are currently banned from the Presidents Cup, which is owned and operated by PGA Tour.
