Tag: Luke Donald

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Equipment

Watch: Luke Donald Switches to New Mizuno Irons after Test Session

Luke Donald tested the Mizuno 245 irons. (Image: Getty)
Luke Donald tested the Mizuno 245 irons. (Image: Getty)


In October, Luke Donald made his way to Sea Island for a video session featuring the Mizuno Pro 245 iron. Little did he know, this gathering would actually mark a turning point. Following the shoot, Luke expressed interest in acquiring a full set of the 245’s, a decision influenced not only by the allure of extra distance but also by the comprehensive package offered by these irons. Of particular importance was the control over trajectory, a test the 245’s passed with flying colors. Luke’s choice to opt for the most forgiving model made quite an impression, especially considering his initial reservations. It was a moment captured on film, marking the beginning of a notable journey with the Mizuno Pro irons.

The test that made Luke Donald switch to a hollow body iron

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Live PGA Tour

PGA Tour Tee Times: Robert MacIntyre tees off alongside fellow British players

The WM Phoenix Open is taking place at TPC Scottsdale. The PGA Tour event features various UK players. (Image: Getty)
The WM Phoenix Open is taking place at TPC Scottsdale. The PGA Tour event features various UK players. (Image: Getty)

The WM Phoenix Open, part of the PGA Tour, is about to tee off at TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. Defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, will look to defend his title on the Par 71 course with a total prize purse of $8,800,000 at stake.

See all Tee Times here

PGA Tour Tee Times: Spotlight on English, Welsh and Scottish Players

Scotland’s Martin Laird is kicking off the tee times for the UK players at 07:20 for Round 1 on the first day, paired with the USA’s David Lipsky and Carl Yuan from China. Laird, Lipsky and Yuan will hit the course for Round 2 at 12:00.

Meanwhile, Scottish golfer Robert MacIntyre will tee off at 07:31 for Round 1, along with England’s Callum Tarren and Matthias Schmid from Germany. The trio is again teaming up for Round 2, with a start time of 12:11.

Luke Donald, hailing from England, will partner with Sweden’s Alexander Noren and USA’s Davis Thompson. Their tee time for Round 1 is set for 07:42, while Round 2 start is set at 12:22.

Englishman Matt Wallace has a Round 1 tee time set for 08:15, with his counterparts J.J. Spaun and Matt Kuchar, both from the USA. The same group will start Round 2 at 12:55. Matt Fitzpatrick is starting at the same times from different tees alongside Sungjae Im and Irish Shane Lowry.

In addition, English players Aaron Rai and Ben Taylor will start their quest in Round 1 at 08:48 and 08:59 respectively. They will play along with Cheng Tsung Pan of Taiwan, Vincent Whaley from the USA, Seonghyeon Kim of Korea and Lanto Griffin from the USA. Round 2 for these groups will commence at 13:28 and 13:39 respectively.

English player Harry Hall will commence Round 1 at 12:00 along with Andrew Novak from USA and Samuel Stevens also from the USA. Round 2 for this team will begin at the early time of 07:20.

Player Nationality Round 1 Round 2
Martin Laird Scotland 07:20 12:00
Robert MacIntyre Scotland 07:31 12:11
Luke Donald England 07:42 12:22
Matt Wallace England 08:15 12:55
Aaron Rai England 08:48 13:28
Ben Taylor England 08:59 13:39
Harry Hall England 12:00 07:20

(This text was generated by AI)

Categories
Highlights Tours

Luke Donald Named 2025 European Ryder Cup Captain

Luke Donald named captain for the 2025 ryder Cup at Betpage Black in New York. (Photo: Getty)
Luke Donald named captain for the 2025 ryder Cup at Betpage Black in New York. (Photo: Getty)

Luke Donald has been named as the European Captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York.
 
The 45 year old Englishman returns to the role having led Europe to a 16½ – 11½ victory against the United States in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy, earlier this year.

Luke Donald takes on second Ryder Cup Captaincy

He will become Europe’s first repeat Captain since Bernard Gallacher performed the role in three consecutive Ryder Cups, in 1991, 1993 and 1995.  
 
Donald will be aiming to become only the second Captain to lead Europe to victories both home and away, following Tony Jacklin who achieved the double at Muirfield Village in Ohio in 1987, retaining the Ryder Cup following his team’s victory two years previously at The Belfry, in England, in 1985.
 
Donald said: “I’m delighted and honoured to have been given the chance to lead Team Europe in the Ryder Cup once again. Great opportunities don’t come along very often in life and I’m a great believer that when they do, you need to grab them with both hands – this is one of these moments.
 
“I’ve been fortunate as a player to have had many amazing times in the Ryder Cup over the years and so to add being a winning Captain to that, to form bonds with the 12 players like we did in Italy and to get the result we did, was very special indeed.
 
“The Ryder Cup means so much to me, so to be Captain again and have the chance to create more history by becoming only the second European Captain to win back-to-back is exciting.

Luke Donal will be European Ryder Cup Captain at Bethpage Black

“There is no question that being a Captain away from home is a tough task. But I have never shied away from challenges throughout my career and it is precisely the kind of thing that motivates me. I can’t wait to get another 12-strong team to Bethpage in 2025.”
 
Guy Kinnings, Executive Director – Ryder Cup, said: “Luke was a superb Captain in Rome and we are delighted that he will be returning to the role for the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York.
 
“He demonstrated clear, calm and meticulous leadership skills in Rome, and all those qualities will be big assets again for Luke and Team Europe as they take on the considerable challenge of trying to retain the Ryder Cup against a strong US Team backed by passionate support in New York.”
 
Donald featured as a player in the last European Team to win on American soil at Medinah Country Club in 2012 when he led José María Olazábal’s side out in the singles, securing the first blue point on the board in one of the most famous comebacks in the history of the biennial contest.
 
In total, he represented Europe in the Ryder Cup four times as a player, being part of a winning team on all four occasions, contributing 10½ points from his 15 matches.
He then served as a Vice Captain in 2018, under Thomas Bjørn, and Pádraig Harrington in 2021, before becoming Captain for the first time at the 2023 contest in Rome.
 
Donald also has an impressive in individual playing career having been World Number One for a total of 56 weeks, while in 2011 he became the first player in history to top the money lists on the European Tour (now the DP World Tour) and the PGA TOUR in the same year.

(Text: Ryder Cup Europe)

Categories
Highlights Tours

Ryder Cup 2023: Captain Luke Donald – Four-time Ryder Cup winner

Luke Donald is the captain of Team Europe at the Ryder Cup 2023. (Photo: Getty)
Luke Donald is the captain of Team Europe at the Ryder Cup 2023. (Photo: Getty)

The 45-year-old Englishman looks back on a long and successful career. In total, Luke Donald has won 13 titles on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour (former European Tour) and was among the world’s top 20 players at the beginning of 2005. In 2011, he was ranked first in the world golf rankings for the first time. His participations in the Ryder Cup speak for themselves. Four times he faced the American team and four times he won the Ryder Cup with Team Europe.

Luke Donald as Captain at the Ryder Cup 2023

Luke Donald was appointed captain for the 44th Ryder Cup on August 1, 2022. He will lead his team from September 29 through October 1. His long history in the Ryder Cup and not a single defeat as a player should bode well for the European team.

Donald has always been a competitive player. In 2011, for example, he won the WGC Accenture Match Play in the final against Martin Kaymer. His experience and passion, along with a host of successes from the still-active player, make him a showcase captain for the European team, which will face a strong Team USA this year.

Four Ryder Cup appearances – Four Ryder Cup victories

His Ryder Cup career began in 2004, when Bernhard Langer was captain of the European team. At that time, Europe won the tournament in Michigan by a historic margin. Luke Donald played his part in that. On the first and second day, he won the Foursome both times together with Sergio Garcia. He was only beaten in the singles match play on Sunday. Garcia and he formed the Ryder Cup Dream Team. In 2006, they also won together in the Foursome on Friday and Saturday, facing none other than Phil Mickelson on both days. That year he also won his singles match.

He then continued his winning statistics at the Ryder Cup in 2010. On Friday, he was defeated in the Fourball, but on Saturday he won twice and, with a victory in the match on the final day, ensured the next European Ryder Cup victory. In 2012, in his last Ryder Cup appearance, he helped seal a narrow European victory when he won his singles match against Bubba Watson. He thus sat out the Ryder Cup only once (2008), the only year Europe lost the Ryder Cup between 2004 and 2012.

Luke Donald’s greatest successes and prize money

One of his greatest successes was his victory at the BMW PGA Championship in 2011. This victory catapulted him to the top of the world rankings for the first time in his career. A year later, he even defended his title at the tournament. For a long time, Luke Donald played mainly on the PGA Tour, but he also took part in tournaments on the European Tour. On the PGA Tour he managed five more victories. In total, the Englishman has won 13 international titles.

In his career, he made the cut 290 times in 421 events played. 79 top-10 finishes and 16 second places illustrate his class. That brings him to around $38 million in prize money earned so far in his career.

Categories
Highlights Tours

Ryder Cup 2023: Luke Donalds Captain’s Picks for Team Europe

Luke Donalds makes his captain's picks for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup 2023. (Photo: Getty)
Luke Donalds makes his captain's picks for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup 2023. (Photo: Getty)

Luke Donald has announced his wildcards for Team Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup. With six players he completes his team with which he will compete against Zach Johnson’s team in Italy to bring the Ryder Cup back into European hands. These are Luke Donald’s captain’s picks:

Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg.

Luke Donald’s picks for the Ryder Cup 2023

For Sepp Straka it will be the first Ryder Cup. He impressed with a win at the John Deere Classic and second place at the Open Championship. “It was a goal to make the team, but it always looks so far away. It’s an honor to be on it.” Donald especially praised Straka’s involvement in Hero Cup earlier this year, for which he flew to Abu Dhabi. “He loves the team environment and is in great form.”

Tommy Fleetwood will be making his third Ryder Cup appearance. He was on the verge of qualifying directly until near the end of the qualifying stage, but was then overtaken by Matt Fitzpatrick. “He’s a ball-striking machine,” Donald explained his choice. Fleetwood was there for the magnificent 2018 victory at Le Golf National, but also for the crushing defeat at Whistling Straits. “I’m one of those players who stood on the 18th green last time out and couldn’t wait to be back next time and bring the trophy back,” Fleetwood said after his appointment.

With Justin Rose, Luke Donald brings a lot of experience to the team. Rose has been part of the team five times, three of them victorious. “A wealth of experience,” Justin Rose offers according to the captain. “He’s been in these situations before, holed putts under pressure.” The Englishman is excited about being in the team for the sixth time after failing to make the team in the previous edition at Whistling Straits. “There’s nothing better than winning as a team,” Rose said.

“He’s made for the big moments, he showed that with his win at the 2019 Open Championship,” Donald announced Shane Lowry as his next pick. Lowry showed his enthusiasm for the Ryder Cup in 2021 at Whistling Straits, even if it wasn’t enough to win. “I’m incredibly proud, grateful and looking forward to Rome,” Lowry said. “The last one hurt and I’m looking forward to a home Ryder Cup.” Despite the loss, Lowry said the 2021 experience was one he will never forget.

Luke Donald brings another rookie to the team in Nicolai Hojgaard. “It was one of my goals and to be on a team with players I’ve admired my whole life is fantastic.” Donald emphasizes the form Hojgaard is currently in and how he proved himself at the Hero Cup earlier this year.

The last pick also goes to a rookie who is starting his pro career with a bang: Ludvig Aberg. The Swede has only been on the pro circuit for two and a half months. “He has the potential to be a superstar in golf,” is how Donald introduces his latest pick. He had his eye on him in his college days, he says, and played with him at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. “I was impressed with his game, so I challenged him to play in Europe for a few weeks after all. And as you know, how that went.” After a shared fourth-place finish at the Czech Masters, Aberg won in Switzerland over the weekend. “If you would have told me a few months ago that I would be in this position, I probably wouldn’t have believed it,” said Aberg, who will be the first player to compete in the Ryder Cup without ever having played a major before.

The Ryder Cup will be played from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome.

These players have already qualified for Team Europe

Six players had already qualified via the two points lists, the European Points List and the World Points List. Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Robert MacIntyre secured their places via the European Points List. While Rahm and McIlroy had already been determined for a while, MacIntyre prevailed in the last qualifying valid DP World Tour tournaments. Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton were impossible to catch in the world points standings after the FedExCup playoffs. Matt Fitzpatrick secured the final qualifying spot at the Omega European Masters.

Categories
European Tour

DP World Tour: Teams unveiled for Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi

Luke Donald is the captain of Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Getty)
Luke Donald is the captain of Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup. (Photo: Getty)

European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald has announced 18 players, including an exciting mix of Ryder Cup stars, Major Champions and the most promising young players in world golf, to make up the Continental Europe and Great Britain and Ireland teams for next year’s Hero Cup in Abu Dhabi from January 13-15.

Prep for the Ryder Cup: DP World Tour brings team match play tournament

In consultation with the respective Hero Cup Captains Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari, who will both compete as playing Captains, Donald confirmed the teams for next year’s match play contest at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, with one remaining position for each team to be allocated at the conclusion of the DP World Tour calendar year.

Match Play Tournament on the DP World Tour

Donald and Molinari have constructed a strong mix of proven winners with Sweden’s Alex Noren and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters bringing Ryder Cup experience to the Continental Europe ranks one week before the Belgian defends his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship title at Yas Links.

Molinari’s team will be completed by a host of exciting young players including Austrian Sepp Straka, who won his maiden PGA TOUR title at The Honda Classic in 2022, three-time DP World Tour winner Rasmus Højgaard, two-time winner Victor Perez and Adrian Meronk, who became the first Polish player to win on the DP World Tour when he claimed the 2022 Horizon Irish Open.

Belgium’s Thomas Detry has also enjoyed a strong start to his rookie PGA TOUR season finishing in the top-12 in three of the five events played – including second place in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship – and has six top-15 finishes on the DP World Tour. He is joined by three-time DP World Tour winner Guido Migliozzi, who claimed the biggest victory of his career in September at the Cazoo Open de France.

The Great Britain and Ireland team, led by two-time Ryder Cup player Fleetwood, boasts 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry and four-time Rolex Series winner Tyrrell Hatton amongst its ranks.

They will be joined by a stream of Ryder Cup hopefuls including Irishman Séamus Power, who has enjoyed a stunning start to the 2023 PGA TOUR season and currently leads the FedEx Cup Standings, and DP World Tour winners Ewen Ferguson, Robert MacIntyre, Callum Shinkwin, Jordan Smith and Matt Wallace.

Luke Donald wants to “combine experience and youthfulness”

Donald, the 2023 European Ryder Cup Captain, said: “Having worked closely with Tommy and Fran on building the two teams, I’m delighted with the mix of players who will be on show at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in January.

“We all thought it was important to combine experience and youthfulness and I think we have found that balance with a mixture of Major Champions and Ryder Cup players, alongside guys who are hoping to secure a spot in Rome next year.”

Prep at the highest level

Molinari, the Continental Europe Captain and 2018 Open Champion, said: “Our team is packed full of exciting players who all have the attributes to excel in a match play contest and I’m excited to lead them into the Hero Cup next year.

“Some of our younger players have already shown incredible maturity in high-pressured situations and proved they can perform in big moments, so giving them the opportunity to compete on this stage alongside the likes of Alex Noren and Thomas Pieters will be really important at the beginning of what could be a big year for them.”

Fleetwood leads the island Europeans

Fleetwood, who combined with Molinari to collect four points from four matches at the 2018 Ryder Cup in France, said: “I am really pleased with the players who will form the Great Britain and Ireland team next year.

“Having the experience of Shane and Tyrrell will be invaluable for the rest of the team in a match play environment but I think we are really strong throughout the team. We have proven winners in some of the biggest DP World Tour events and it will be great to have Séámus with us following his excellent start to the season in America.”

Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said: “We are delighted to see the best of emerging talent from Europe together with established Major Champions and Ryder Cup stars at the upcoming Hero Cup in January. It is going to be a fantastic week of top class golf and a keen tussle on the course between these two strong teams.”

2023 Hero Cup Teams

Continental Europe Great Britain & Ireland
Francesco MOLINARI (C) Tommy FLEETWOOD (C)
Thomas DETRY Ewen FERGUSON
Rasmus HØJGAARD Tyrrell HATTON
Adrian MERONK Shane LOWRY
Guido MIGLIOZZI Robert MACINTYRE
Alex NOREN Seamus POWER
Victor PEREZ Callum SHINKWIN
Thomas PIETERS Jordan SMITH
Sepp STRAKA Matt WALLACE
Player TBC Player TBC

(Text: Press release DP World Tour)

Categories
Panorama

Captains Donald and Johnson take the Ryder Cup to the Colosseum

Luke Donald and Zach Johnson in front of the Colosseum. (Foto: Getty)
Luke Donald and Zach Johnson in front of the Colosseum. (Foto: Getty)

The two captains chipped shots from a specifically built platform to a Ryder Cup green located in Tempio di Venere Roma (Temple of Venus and Roma), in the shadow of the world-famous Colosseum.

European Captain Donald and United States Captain Johnson are in Rome to mark 12 months until Italy hosts its first Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, from September 26 to October 1, 2023.

The pair took the famous Ryder Cup trophy into the heart of Rome to the Colosseum, one of the city’s most historic sights which attracts millions of tourists each year.

Built in the 1st Century AD, the stone amphitheatre was a gathering place during the Roman Empire, with a capacity of around 50,000 people.

Captain Donald said: “The Colosseum is iconic when it comes to Rome, built back in 80 A.D., I was reading up about it. It is still the biggest amphitheatre ever be to built. It’s amazing they were able to do such amazing things back so many years ago.

“So to have that as a backdrop was a great showcase for Italy and a great showcase for Rome.”

Captain Johnson said: “It was an unbelievable morning and to share it with Luke and Diane and my wife was special. I mean, it’s almost surreal. The backdrop of the Colosseum, the Temple of Venus, it’s something that you just kind of pinch yourself. It was very spectacular, and I appreciate that opportunity, so thank you.”

The Captains’ visit to the Colosseum and Tempio di Venere Roma marked the second day of the Year To Go Celebrations, and the pair also hosted their first joint press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Yesterday, Donald and Johnson were joined by 12 members of the Federazione Italiana Golf’s (FIG) Elite National Under 18 team – six boys and six girls aged 15-18 – and four members of the Elite Disabled team for the four-hole Captains’ Challenge match over the first, 16th, 17th and 18th holes at Marco Simone.

Approximately 300 local school children watched the event, which fittingly ended in a tie, with the two teams sharing the trophy.

On Monday evening, the two Captains joined 200 guests at the Official Gala Dinner which took place at the spectacular Palazzo Colonna.

Marco Simone will host the 2023 Ryder Cup from September 26 to October 1, 2023, when Europe will try to regain the Ryder Cup following defeat at Whistling Straits last year.

(Text: Ryder Cup)

Categories
European Tour

Prep for the Ryder Cup: DP World Tour brings team match play tournament

Luke Donald is looking forward to a new match play team tournament on the DP World Tour. (Photo: Getty)
Luke Donald is looking forward to a new match play team tournament on the DP World Tour. (Photo: Getty)

In the week leading up to the DP World Tour’s (formerly European Tour) flagship tournament – the BMW PGA Championship, which also kicks off Ryder Cup qualifying – the European circuit has announced a new tournament format. The Hero Cup in January 2023 will be played in team match play as a sort of replacement for the Seve Trophy last held in 2013. Captain Luke Donald is enthusiastic and hopes to prepare for the Ryder Cup.

DP World Tour: New team match play format

“One of the first things I was keen to do when I was appointed as Ryder Cup Captain was to reinstate a team match play contest to give playing and leadership experience to future Ryder Cup players, vice-captains and Captains,” the leader of the European Ryder Cup team for the 2023 continental competition in Rome is quoted as saying in a DP World Tour press release. The Hero Cup, scheduled to take place at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from 13-15 January 2023, will feature two ten-man teams made up of British/Irish and Continental European golfers.

Donald will be in charge of the event and will assemble both teams in consultation with their respective captains, who are yet to be announced. The competition will consist of a fourball, a foursome and a singles round, each involving all 20 players. Who will be allowed to compete in the new tournament format will be announced after the season ends with the DP World Tour Championship 2022 in Dubai. The performance of the past season will also be taken into account in the selection.

Luke Donald with plenty of influence

“I spoke to a number of former Ryder Cup Captains who were strong advocates of how similar events in the past have benefitted players who were pushing to make Ryder Cup teams, as well as their own captaincy journey,” Donald, who was appointed skipper just a few weeks ago, said of the reasons for the new format.

The Ryder Cup captain thus continues to influence the design of the Continental Cup, which will be held in September 2023 at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club outside Rome. Most recently, Donald, together with his vice-captains, had adjusted the qualifying criteria and given himself more leeway by selecting a larger number of picks. Now the aim is to increase competitiveness again through playing practice in team competition and in man-to-man battles after they went down in the “Waterloo of Wisconsin” against an overpowering American team in 2021.