Swing and Hope

The Ryder Cup never fails to deliver drama, passion, and history.

This weekend at Bethpage in New York, Europe stunned the USA with a 15–13 victory, becoming the first team since 2012 to win an away Ryder Cup. It also marks back-to-back triumphs for Europe and captain Luke Donald, who was already a Ryder Cup hero but has now surely cemented legendary status.

With the dust now settling, here are five key things we learned from an unforgettable 2025 Ryder Cup.

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Luke Donald must be apart of the transition of picking a new captain.

Some players chanted for “two more years” during Sunday’s celebrations, but for me, Luke Donald doesn’t need to. He has already given four years of his life to this enormous role and achieved what many thought was impossible. The shoes to fill ahead of Adare Manor in 2027 are huge, yet Donald has earned the right to step back with his legacy intact.

Donald has nothing left to prove — not to himself, not to the players, and certainly not to the wider golfing world. By masterminding Europe’s win in Rome in 2023 and then retaining the cup on American soil in 2025, he has firmly established himself as the greatest European captain of the modern era.

Whoever follows will face enormous pressure, which is exactly why Donald must play a part in shaping the succession plan. His experience and insight are too valuable to be left out of the process, and the transition shouldn’t rest solely in the hands of the European Tour Group. Having someone who knows what it takes to win both home and away guiding that decision could be the difference between continuity and chaos.

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The USA need to become more of a team.

The USA lost the Ryder Cup over the weekend — it’s as simple as that. To be seven points behind before Sunday’s singles is unacceptable by American golfing standards. I couldn’t help but rant about it on Sunday afternoon (which you can read here), but the issues were glaring. Some of the pairings left you scratching your head — Harris English alongside Collin Morikawa, for example, thrown up against the powerhouse duo of Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy. Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, looked anything but the world number one, no matter who stood alongside him. And when you stack up the Americans’ team spirit against the Europeans’, the gap is wider than the Atlantic itself.

That lack of unity has to be a priority for the USA moving forward. Yes, they salvaged pride with a stronger showing in Sunday singles, but let’s be honest — singles are just golf in its usual form: one man against another, against the course. The Ryder Cup is supposed to be about more than that, and it’s exactly in that “more” where Europe keep beating them.

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Crowd behaviour needs to be clamped down on.

“It’s New York, what do you expect?”

I expect better.

I expect one of the greatest sporting cities in the world not to dominate the headlines for such childish, unimaginative, and frankly vile behaviour towards golfers and their families. It crossed the line — simple as that. A master of ceremonies leading “f*** you Rory” chants at seven in the morning, drinks thrown in the direction of McIlroy’s wife, fans screaming abuse during players’ swings — that isn’t golf. It has never been golf. Yes, we’ve all let emotions get the better of us supporting our teams (as a West Ham fan, I know that feeling all too well), but it’s not difficult to recognise when passion crosses into disgrace.

Sadly, what unfolded at Bethpage Black this weekend showed that too many fans didn’t understand, or simply didn’t care. I don’t know what the solution is — ban alcohol? More security? Require everyone to have a designated ID badge? Whatever it is, I just hope the Ryder Cup never has to endure that kind of behaviour again.

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Captains should not be picked when still challenging weekly on tour.

It seems obvious in hindsight, but apparently not to the Americans. At 39, Keegan Bradley has shown this year on the PGA Tour that he is more than capable of competing at the highest level week in, week out. With his Ryder Cup experience as a player, his presence was sorely missed this weekend.

Bradley won the Travelers Championship back in June, edging out Tommy Fleetwood in a near match-play scenario with a clutch birdie on the 18th, while Fleetwood faltered with a bogey. Even at the time, many felt Bradley’s captaincy was influenced more by the controversy surrounding his omission from Zach Johnson’s 2023 U.S. team than by merit.

Looking ahead, talk is turning to Justin Rose as a potential next European captain. Rose finished second at this year’s Masters, won the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, and contributed two points for Europe this weekend. With form like that, it’s hard to see why a player of his calibre should be sidelined in favour of a captaincy role at this stage.

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Don’t start crying now over a rule that’s been in place since 1979.

The envelope rule. A rule not seen or heard of in the Ryder Cup since 1993, and has only been used twice since 1979, has caused some controversy as Viktor Hovland withdrew from the singles matches on Sunday due to a neck injury. In this scenario, Harris English was the name in the US envelope and therefore one match was already tied before a ball was hit.

Following the defeat, United States captain Keegan Bradley highlighted what he sees as a pressing issue in the Ryder Cup rules. He believes the tournament’s quirky envelope rule “has to change” before the next contest at Adare Manor in 2027. The rule has played pivotal roles in the past — helping the U.S. in 1991 when Steve Pate was unable to play, and Europe in 1993 when Sam Torrance had to withdraw.

Bradley acknowledged the rule’s impact but insisted it is time for an update. “I have a few ideas, but I’m not going to tell you right now,” he said. “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.”

There’s some sympathy to be had for Bradley, but if you’re going to challenge a rule that has been in place since 1979, the worst time to start raising objections is only after it affects you personally.

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This year’s Ryder Cup was it a reminder of what makes the Ryder Cup so unique: the intensity, the atmosphere, and the stories that extend far beyond the golf course.

For the Americans, the hard work starts now if they want to reclaim the cup in 2027 at Adare Manor. Whatever happens, the Ryder Cup remains one of the most compelling spectacles in sport, and we can be certain that the next edition will be just as talked about, scrutinised, and passionately followed as this one.

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