Team Europe captain Luke Donald insists his side “will be ready” for Donald Trump’s presence at the Ryder Cup and has been “assured” that their clash with the United States will run smoothly.
Donald returns as captain for this year’s contest at Bethpage Black, live from September 26-28 on Sky Sports, where Europe – containing 11 of the same team from their 2023 success – look to claim a famous away victory.
A hostile atmosphere is expected for the Europeans in New York, while president Trump is scheduled to attend on the opening day and set to bring additional logistical challenges to the biennial contest.
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Rory McIlroy looks ahead to the Ryder Cup at the end of September and reacts to a US Ryder Cup shirt that contains a silhouette resembling him
The men’s US Open tennis final on Sunday was delayed due to extra security measures in place for Trump’s arrival, with the president greeted with a mix of cheers and boos when introduced to the crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Trump was booed again during the National Anthem and thousands of spectators were still unable to get into their seats before the final started, but Donald remains hopeful that the PGA of America – who organise the Ryder Cup – will be able to handle Trump’s presence.
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“I think you’re probably all aware of that [delays at the tennis], but hopefully they [the PGA of America] have learnt from that,” Donald said ahead of the BMW PGA Championship. “It’s a big process, obviously, to get a president to come to an event.
“There’s a lot of security and everything – it takes some work, I’m sure. The PGA of America’s job is to make sure it’s seamless. He wants to be there to probably greet the players and I think the crowd is probably going to be loud no matter what.
“We know that the president is going to be there, it’s not like he’s just going to turn up and we didn’t expect it, so it’s fine.”
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Donald added: “We don’t know the details yet. I think the tours are talking to the PGA of America to get more information. We understand that he’s coming and both teams will be ready for that.”
How Team Europe plans to tackle American crowd
Team Europe are likely to face raucous American crowds throughout the biennial contest, with Donald already outlining plans for how his team plan to handle any chanting or heckling that goes too far.
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“We will have a unified approach amongst the players, the caddies, the wives, everything,” Donald explained. “Obviously we’ve been told by the PGA of America, that’s a strong amount of police are going to be there. They have their protocols in place, too.
“There have been a lot of conversations over the last six months and they have assured me that it’s going to run smoothly.”
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Luke Donald reflects on his six captain’s picks and the challenge facing his European team in New York
Eight of this year’s European team have past away Ryder Cup experience and two of the team – Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose – were part of the 2012 ‘Miracle at Medinah’ success, with Donald hoping his team embrace the challenge they face in New York.
“I certainly enjoyed playing in an away Ryder Cup,” admitted Donald, who played in away Ryder Cup wins in 2004 and 2012. “In a way, you’ve got a little bit less pressure. The home team is meant to win. So I don’t mind that. As long as you’re prepared for getting a little bit of stick from the fans, I think that’s okay.
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Will Luke Donald lead Team Europe to a historic Ryder Cup victory over Team USA at Bethpage Black? Watch this year’s contest live from September 26-28 on Sky Sports Golf
“I think everyone deals with it differently and individually. For me it was quite motivating to know that we probably were the underdog, we weren’t expected to win, and it fuelled me to play well. These are things we’ve already talked to some of the players about and will continue to talk to them.”
Who will win the BMW PGA Championship? Watch the DP World Tour’s Flagship Event throughout the week live on Sky Sports Golf. Live coverage begins with Featured Groups from 8.30am on Thursday ahead of full coverage from midday.
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