The Ryder Cup ended in far more dramatic fashion than was expected, but Europe’s dominance in the team formats ensured they got over the line with a 15-13 victory at Bethpage Black in New York.
The abuse of Rory McIlroy by the American crowd made headlines all week, but it was only the moving words of his captain Luke Donald in the European team press conference that made The Masters champion shed a tear.
The magnitude of winning an away Ryder Cup for the first time since 2012 was certainly not lost on the victors.
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Donald’s side have stayed deeply in touch with the history of the event throughout his time in charge in Rome and New York, and so they know that their leader has also developed one of the all-time great Ryder Cup careers.
The Englishman’s record as a player and captain has him stand among the sport’s elite.
He also came to the defence of a controversial long-time rule that his counterpart Keegan Bradley urged to be scraped after it benefited the Europeans.
Bradley endured another tough loss in his third time being part of the Ryder Cup, and it means one of his pre-tournament promises will remain unfilled, perhaps forever.
Scroll down for the biggest talking points from the final day of the 2025 Ryder Cup!
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‘I’m quite an impulsive character’ | 01:03
‘PRETTY EFFING CLOSE’: AWAY WIN UP THERE WITH GAME’S BIGGEST FEATS
For Europe’s top players, winning an away Ryder Cup is almost at the pinnacle of golfing accomplishments.
Victory in New York was Europe’s fifth win on US soil, and third this century after 2004 at Oakland Hills and 2012 at Medinah.
The US on the other hand boast just two away victories in what has been an event dominated by the home side.
Europe’s thrashing of the Americans in Rome two years ago, and America’s belting of Europe at Whistling Straits in 2021, were emblematic of that lopsidedness.
It was also why Luke Donald’s team required such a big effort to win the Cup again, made to fight until the end by an American comeback.
Shane Lowry, who drained a ten foot putt to secure the half point that guaranteed the Cup would be retained, summed up how much it meant to him besides the 18th green, saying, “the Ryder Cup means everything to me”.
“I won the Open in Ireland and it was a dream come true, but the Ryder Cup for me is everything,” the Irishman added.
Lowry explodes after Ryder Cup win | 01:24
Lowry’s best friend Rory McIlroy is another who has always held representing Europe on a pedestal.
Once McIlroy achieved his personal dream of winning a green jacket and completely the career grand slam at The Masters in April, it felt like his entire year was geared towards building up for Bethpage Black.
It paid off as he contributed 3.5 points, only losing his singles match against Scottie Scheffler, and fulfilled his premonition after Rome that they would triumph in New York.
“It’s nice to be right. I’m not right all the time. I have absolute confidence in this team, absolute confidence in our leader, Luke Donald. The vice captains, the backroom staff, the things that people don’t see behind the scenes,” McIlroy said.
“I think we won in Rome, and the wheels were set in motion to try to do something that had not been done in over a decade.
“As we talked today, 11 of the 12 on the team are the same; the captain is the same. We believed a lot in our continuity, and I believe that we had a really special group in Rome, and I felt like we had a real — look, I said that in the euphoria of winning a Ryder Cup, but I really felt like we had definitely way more of a chance than we had in Whistling Straits in 2021.
“So, I was bullish about our chances, but this has just been a dream week.”
‘He’s in your head!’ Europeans troll USA | 00:32
McIlroy withstood the barrage of abuse he received from the US crowd all week, but he broke down in tears during the European team’s press conference when Donald talked about how much the Ryder Cup means to his talisman, and how much he means to the team.
“Rory has made no qualms about how important the Ryder Cup is to him, and I think that’s inspiring to me. It’s inspiring to his team,” Donald said.
“You know, maybe not quite on the same level as winning the Grand Slam and the Masters, but it’s pretty effing close. It really is.
“He’s talked to me about it many times, about how he wants to win an away Ryder Cup and how difficult that is.
“To have someone of Rory’s calibre fighting so hard, that’s inspiring for the team.
“You know, obviously you can’t do it alone but it’s very helpful when someone like Rory is contributing like he does.”
McIlroy targeted by beer throwing fan | 00:27
EUROPE’S GREATEST EVER CAPTAIN?
European captain Luke Donald has built one of the all-time great Ryder Cup resumes as a player and captain.
In the aftermath of Europe’s victory in New York, former professional turned analyst Brandel Chamblee told European team adviser Paul McGinley on Live from The Ryder Cup that one of the biggest positives about the emergence of LIV Golf, was Donald becoming European captain.
It has not been forgotten by the European players themselves with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry poking fun at American reporters about their predictions of US dominance back in 2022.
“You guys told us we wouldn’t win one for 20 years though,” Lowry said after a reporter asked a question how Europe have dominated the past decade and well-placed to do again in the coming decade.
“What about the dominance?” McIlroy then chimed in with.
But among many sections of the golf community, it has largely been forgotten that the European Ryder Cup team was largely believed to be in shambles when LIV began disrupting the men’s professional game.
Henrik Stenson was locked in to be European captain in Rome, but Donald was brought in as his replacement when the Swede crossed to LIV.
Stenson was relegated from LIV Golf this year in a stunning fall from grace, while the Europeans have coped without Ryder Cup stalwarts Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood.
The veterans were all tipped to have captaincy stints when their play no longer warranted selection, and the vacuum created by their departures was set to usher in an era of America dominance.
But that has obviously not been the case at all, with Donald instead rallying his troops with his outstanding leadership.
After the second day’s play, McGinley spoke at length about how the Englishman had united the group behind their belief that players should not be paid to compete in the Ryder Cup, while the Americans went in the other direction for the first time.
Donald also left no stone unturned as he made sure every little detail was taken care of.
“My job is literally to give these guys a better chance to win. It can be as simple as some very small things,” he said.
“I’ll give you an example. At the hotel rooms this week, the doors to our hotel rooms had a big crack that let in light. We brought things that covered the light. We put different shampoos that had a better smell.
“We changed the bedding because the beds weren’t very good, and they just had sheets, and we created much nicer beds so guys could sleep. They could have more energy.
“Those are just little things. I’m going into some really small details.
He added: “It’s just taking the time and having the care that you want to do everything you can to kind of give these guys the best opportunity.
“You want create an environment where they can succeed. These are 12 amazing players, we know that. You’re just trying to, again, put them in a position where they feel comfortable.”
Europeans reveal secret to Ryder Cup win | 01:24
Such genuine care for the players and their families is why the European team carried on the fans’ chants of “two more years” in the press conference, although Donald remained coy, saying he will simply enjoy the celebrations now.
He is only the second European captain ever – after Tony Jacklin – to win home and away Ryder Cups, having also won the Cup four times as a player, including twice on American soil.
It is a formidable record that makes the former world No.1 a no-brainer for the job in Ireland in two years’ time, if he wants it.
He would be only the third European captain to lead in three Ryder Cups in a row, after Bernard Gallacher and Jacklin.
Jon Rahm, who delivered three points across the five sessions, showed that Donald’s regime is not exclusive from LIV golfers either, with the Spaniard and Tyrell Hatton playing crucial roles as the fiery Englishman secured the winning half a point.
Rahm clearly wants Donald to go around, describing him as “perfect”.
“There’s so many things that Luke has done outstandingly professionally, so perfect, that it’s hard to say one,” the former world No.1 said.
“Without getting too much into it, the level of professionalism he’s shown us the last four years, his attention to detail in his post and his knowledge of Ryder Cup and the game and what we do on the golf course day in can day out is what made these last two Ryder Cups possible.
“He is the captain of this ship, and he’s led us better than I can see anybody leading us. He set the bar extremely high for the future captains.”
On the opposite side of the fence, US captain Keegan Bradley said he was up against “the best European Ryder Cup Captain of all time, Luke Donald”.
It’s a moniker that is sure to be shared around more frequently in the wash up from New York.
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‘Unfortunate’ JT on ugly crowd conduct | 01:24
‘IT HAS TO CHANGE’: BRADLEY CALLS FOR CONTROVERSIAL RULE CHANGE
One of the Ryder Cup’s more unusual rules was in the spotlight on the final day, and US captain Keegan Bradley was furious.
Before the event begins, both captains have a put name of one of their players into an envelope, and it is only pulled out if needed.
The player whose name is in the envelope is chosen by their captain to sit out of the Sunday singles if an opposition player gets injured.
That is exactly what happened to the USA’s Harris English after Europe’s Viktor Hovland withdrew with a bulging disc in his neck.
Hovland pulled out of Saturday afternoon’s session as he went for scans on the issue, and the verdict was made that he could no play Sunday.
As a result, both teams received half a point under the Ryder Cup rules.
It is a rule Bradley is not happy with, as it could have been decisive with the final score of 15-13 incredibly tight after the previous five Ryder Cups had all been decided by five points or more.
“Yeah, it has to change,” Bradley said in the US team’s press conference.
“I have a few ideas but I’m not going to tell you right now. I mean, the rule has to change.
“I think it’s obvious to everybody in the sports world, in this room. Nothing against Viktor. But that rule needs to change by the next Ryder Cup.”
In tennis, an injured player retires from the match and their opponent is deemed the winner, advancing to the next round of the tournament.
That may be a change implemented, but tournament organisers could follow the lead of other team sports and allow teams to have substitutes at the ready if they feel the need for change.
European captain Luke Donald is not so sure that change is necessary, taking a view that injuries are unfortunate and they favour different teams at different times.
“I think it’s been in place since 1971,” Donald said of the rule.
“The US have used it before. I think it happened in 1991 with Steve Pate. That was a tight Ryder Cup, too, 14½-13½.
“It happened in 1993; Sam Torrance couldn’t play with an injured toe. The US won that one.
“We have contracts for a reason, a captains’ agreement for a reason, for situations that occur.
“I want to centre it back to Viktor; I would have had absolute faith in him to deliver a point today. He couldn’t play. He was gutted.”
“Guys, shut the f*** up!” | 00:23
BRADLEY’S ‘WEIRD RELATIONSHIP’ WITH CUP
Keegan Bradley’s suitcase from his Ryder Cup debut in 2012 will remain unopened, taunting him in his garage, perhaps forever more.
The US captain spoke in the lead up to this year’s event about how such was his heartbreak from the ‘Miracle at Medinah’ when the Europeans came from six points behind at the start of the Sunday singles to triumph, that he could not even face opening his suitcase.
Bradley said he would not do it until he finally won a Ryder Cup, seemingly banishing his demons.
But he was unable to do so as captain, meaning the past two away Ryder Cup victories have come in Bradley’s debut as a player and as a captain.
It is a pill that is tough to swallow for someone so passionate about the tournament.
After the final match was completed, Bradley summed up his emotions when speaking to broadcasters.
“I’ve got a real weird relationship with this tournament. A lot of heartbreak,” Bradley said.
“But I still love it, and I love the guys. I love being out here again.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get to do this again. I’ll remember this the rest of my life.”
Bradley leaves New York with a few regrets, namely expressing that the US team’s course set up requests back fired.
Bethpage Black is regarded as one of the hardest golf courses in the world, but the Americans neutered much of it in order to make for a low scoring contest that they thought would be more favourable than a brutal US Open-style test.
But despite that error, Bradley can walk away with his head held on high based on Scottie Scheffler’s feedback.
The world No.1 said his captain “has been amazing”, and made a great effort to inspire the US team to try pull off a Sunday miracle.
“Keegan did a good job putting us in position and keeping the energy up, and the guys were motivated to come out and play,” Scheffler said.
“We’ve showed a lot of fight today.
“Keegan has been amazing. All our vice captains have been great,” Scheffler added.
“This has been a really special team, and it’s been a lot of fun.
“This week did not go how I anticipated it going for myself, and I’m a little bit bummed, but these guys on this team, they picked me up when I needed it last night, and we’ve got a great team.”
Bradley was emotional upon hearing Scheffler’s comments saying, “it means a lot to me”.
“I really enjoyed doing this. I never thought I’d get to be a Ryder Cup captain,” he added.
“I’ll never forget it. It was amazing.”
It may have been Bradley’s one and only chance to do the role as only Davis Love III and Tom Watson have done the role multiple times for the US team in the past 35 years.
There has also not been a back-to-back US captain since Ben Hogan in 1947 and 1949.
