LUKE DONALD had to make changes to Team Europe’s hotel as he led them to victory at the Ryder Cup.
The Team Europe captain has been praised for his leadership – including from President Donald Trump – after overseeing a second successive Ryder Cup win.
Team Europe claimed a famous victory on US soil[/caption]
His side won on US soil for the first time since 2012, winning 15-12 after defending a late American fightback.
But his task was made harder because of some less than ideal condiitons at the Team Europe hotel.
Donald, 47, revealed he had to make a few adjustments to keep his players comfortable and put them in the best possible position to win points.
He said, “My job is literally to give these guys a better chance to win. It can be as simple as some very small things.
“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.
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“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.”
Donald has now written his name in the Ryder Cup history books as both a player and a captain.
His team are keen for him to return to lead for a third tournament, with his opposite number, US captain Keegan Bradley, saying, “I think he’s the best European Ryder Cup captain of all time, Luke Donald.”
Despite that, Donald refused to confirm whether he would return and instead said, “I don’t think my heart can take two more years.”
He added, “I think those weeks we spend together are the ones we remember the most and the ones we cherish the most because of the time we get to spend with each other.
“That’s a big part of my captaincy, is to create an environment where these guys are having the best weeks of their lives, honestly.
“We’ll always remember this. We’ll always go down in history.”
