Donald's players put their shirts on winning mantra

Europe's stunning Ryder Cup victory can be attributed to preparation and four stirring words

- Lawrence Ostlere

On the walls of Europe's carefully designed players' quarters at Bethpage Black were inspirational photographs of winning teams from yesteryear and motivational quotes from legends of the game. Perhaps the most energising of all came from a surprising source, the US captain Keegan Bradley.

On the walls of Europe's carefully designed players' quarters at Bethpage Black were inspirational photographs of winning teams from yesteryear and motivational quotes from legends of the game. Perhaps the most energising of all came from a surprising source, the US captain Keegan Bradley. “We’re going to go to Bethpage and kick their fucking ass,” he had said in the buildup. Those words were written in giant red and white print on a blue wall in the European living space, with Bradley’s name underneath in attribution. After winning the Cup 15-13 on Sunday, Shane Lowry made sure to take a smiling photo with the quote while holding the trophy.

This was one of hundreds of tiny pieces of detail that went into Europe’s remarkable Ryder Cup triumph. When Luke Donald was awarded the captaincy ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, one of the first steps he took was to educate himself on the role, and he read numerous books on leadership in sport and in life.