Donald expects 'new faces' for Team Europe as Ryder Cup race begins

Luke Donald insists it’s going to be "very challenging" to complete a historic Ryder Cup threepeat and expects "new blood" in Team Europe at Adare Manor next September. Donald led Team Europe to a 16.5-11.5 victory in Rome in 2023 and a historic 15-13 success on away soil at Bethpage Black last year, with the former world No 1 now looking to become the first captain to win three consecutive Ryder Cups. The year-long qualification campaign for the 2027 European Ryder Cup team begins at the Husqvarna British Masters this week, live on Sky Sports, with Donald excited to seeing how his team evolves over the next 12 months.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "I always feel like when the qualification starts, it's sort of a reset for some of these players," Donald said. "Their goals change and suddenly they have an opportunity to earn Ryder Cup points and that's a pretty motivating thing for a lot of guys. "Obviously this is my third crack [as captain], so I know a lot of the players.

You are always going to have new talent coming up, and it's important to be around them and show some interest and keep them up-to-date in terms of how I see them playing. "If they are playing some really good golf, and they have a chance, then it helps to be around them rather than just sending a text message." Donald added in his press conference: "The home Ryder Cups feel more pressure. There's an expectation that you're meant to win and that brings its own pressure, then trying to win three in a row brings even more pressure.

"I think it's going to be a very challenging Ryder Cup, I honestly do. The home gives us a little bit of an advantage but the Americans are always very strong. Winning consistently in any sport, in anything, is very difficult." Team Europe took 11 of their 12-man line-up and four of the five vice-captains from their 2023 victory to New York in 2025, with Rasmus Hojgaard replacing twin brother Nicolai as the only player change, but Donald expects differences in the 2027 team.

"I don't think we had ever had so many pass from one Ryder Cup to the next, same DNA - it was almost the same team," Donald admitted. "It was almost like 11 and a half people that we had. "I expect there to be some new blood this time, and that's important.

We were all rookies at some point as players and it's important to get out there - it's always easier a little bit for rookies to be at home. I expect the team to have a few new faces." England's Marco Penge is among those chasing a Ryder Cup debut next September, having narrowly missed out on a captain's picks last time around despite three DP World Tour wins in 2025. "I feel like I did as well as I possibly could [to qualify], but maybe experience was against me, which I totally understand why I wasn't [selected]," Penge said ahead of the British Masters.