Ryder Cup: Luke Donald and Zach Johnson press conference
Jon Rahm has revealed that emotions are already running high inside the European team as the clock ticks down to the start of the 44th Ryder Cup. The Masters champion admitted he and his teammates were in tears after captain Luke Donald’s behind-closed-doors motivational video show ahead of the clash with the USA.
Each player received a ipad containing personal messages from family members before they gathered in the team room to watch a compilation of all 12. “There were very few players not shedding a few tears, I can say that,” said Rahm.
“It was a lot of family-related and the reason why all of us are here. I don’t want to say too much more than that. If you guys were to watch it, it would make you feel a lot of the same emotions we felt.”
Europe will start as underdogs on Friday but Shane Lowry says the side will also be driven by the humiliation of a record defeat to the USA two years ago.
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“It’s an emotional week,” said Lowry. “I think Whistling Straits was hard to take but it was quite motivating for me coming away from that and it’s quite motivating for me this week.
“I’m looking forward to going out there and hopefully earning some points for Europe and hopefully we can all do a great job at trying to win the trophy back. But if I don’t play at all and we win, I don’t really care. I’m just here to win. I think we’re all here for the same cause.”
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Ahead of play starting on Friday, Team Europe posted a video on X (formerly known as Twitter) of Donald giving a tour of the team room, decorated in blue and gold with numerous images of the late Seve Ballesteros, which would likely further pull on the heartstrings of his stars.
In the dressing room there are 13 lockers, 12 for players and one for Ballesteros – who passed away in 2011. “Seve is our ultimate symbol of what makes a European player great,” Donald said. “His spirit and his enthusiasm and his soul will be with us all the way.”
As the players head out to the course they are met with a painting of the Spanish legend, with Donald wanting his players to be reminded of the five-time Ryder Cup winner as they look to beat their Team USA counterparts. “What the Ryder Cup meant to him, they’ll feel that as they go out,” Donald added.
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