How Europe Won The Ryder Cup 

What It Teaches Every Golfer About Coaching, Preparation, and Pressure

Whether you are a beginner just learning to play the game or you are standing over a six-foot putt to win the Ryder Cup, proper coaching and preparation can help you perform at your best. 

The U.S. team made an incredible comeback run on Sunday. With all the momentum on the side of the U.S. team, Shane Lowry had a six-foot birdie putt to halve the hole and retain the Ryder Cup for Europe. The putt dropped, the European team erupted, and Europe conquered the U.S. team on its own turf once again. 

The European team played better that weekend. Players on both sides agreed this was true. What is less clear is why they played better, especially when the U.S. team should have had the advantage as the home team. 

On Paper, The U.S. Had The Stronger Team

Before the first tee shot, the odds were clear with the Americans as the favorites.  According to DataGolf, the U.S. team had a 58.7% chance of winning compared to Europe’s 33.5%. The Americans had more players in the world top 10 rankings and they also had a deeper team with every one of its players ranked in the top 25. 

The U.S. Also Had Home Field Advantage

The home team in a Ryder Cup has many advantages. Everything from getting to choose the course, to choosing the course setup, to choosing the order of the format for team play, and having a home crowd cheering them on.

The home team should have easier access to practice the course and even benefit from small details like being able to sleep better due to less jet lag from travel.

There are many reasons that the home team usually wins the Ryder Cup, so it was shocking to see the U.S. team trailing 4.5 to 11.5 after Day 2. 

The Coaching Advantage

Luke Donald had significant Ryder Cup experience, both as a player and as a leader. He was a Vice Captain in 2018 and 202. He was the Captain of the winning team in 2023. He also played on 4 winning Ryder Cup Teams. 

Keegan Bradley also had Ryder Cup experience as a player. In fact, he was playing well enough that he could have selected himself as a playing member of the team this year as well. But he was never a Vice Captain or Captain of a Ryder Cup team.

The Team Format Advantage

It is a common belief that the US team performs better than Europe in individual play and that Europe performs better than the U.S. in team play. 

Here is a table summarizing data from every Ryder Cup in the 2000’s including the most recent one at Bethpage.

The US team does do better, relatively speaking, in Singles than the Team formats. But the difference becomes more clear when you look one level deeper.

The U.S. team performs relatively well in Four-ball where every player plays their own ball. The biggest difference in performance is specifically in Foursomes where teammates alternate shots using the same ball.

What Could Each Team Do With This Data? 

One of the key decisions a host captain gets to make is what order to play the matches on Friday and Saturday. For example, the captain can choose to play Foursomes in the morning and Four-ball in the afternoon or switch it up.  The captain can also change the order on Day 2, depending on how Day 1 went. 

Europe had traditionally started both Day 1 and Day 2 with Four-ball. But if Europe performed better in Foursomes, it would make sense that the European team should choose to start with Foursomes first if given the choice.

When Luke Donald became the European Captain in 2023, he made this change. He chose to start Friday and Saturday with Foursomes instead of Four-ball. This gave his team the best chance to build an early lead and gain momentum.

The U.S. team has started Friday and Saturday with Foursomes since the 2008 Ryder Cup. In 2025, the U.S. team once again started both days with Foursomes. For future Ryder Cups, it could make sense to start each day with Four-ball instead. This would let the U.S. team start with the format it tends to perform better in.

Course Setup Advantage

One of the key advantages the home team has is that it can choose how the course is set up. Keegan decided to cut the rough shorter, thinking it would favor his long hitters. But he was unlucky because weather changes ended up helping the European team.

Keegan Bradley said “I definitely made a mistake on the course setup. I should have listened a little bit more to my intuition. For whatever reason, that wasn’t the right way to set the course up. The greens were as soft as I’ve ever seen greens without it raining. Especially here, it can get pretty firm, and they never firmed up.”

Europe thrived under these conditions. Europe had six of the top seven ranked putters in the world on their team. This setup advantage showed up in strokes gained data as well. According to DataGolf, Europe gained  8.43 strokes in putting over the U.S. team over the 3 days.

Preparation To The Smallest Details

Much has been written about the European team’s preparation prior to this year’s Ryder Cup. Given Luke Donald’s experience as a player, Vice Captain, and Captain, it makes sense that he would be aware of every opportunity to fine tune his team’s performance. 

For example, Luke Donald sent each player a virtual reality headset months before the tournament. They could play simulated rounds at Bethpage, complete with the sounds of heckling crowds, to rehearse focus under pressure.

Even the hotel rooms were optimized. Donald and his staff covered light leaks under the doors, swapped out bedding, and even replaced the shampoo with bottles that smelled better. 

It might sound trivial, but in a high-stress environment like the Ryder Cup, these tiny details might be the difference between players getting more sleep, translating to better performance on the course. 

How These Lessons Apply to Every Golfer

What Europe achieved at Bethpage was a shining example of what good coaching and preparation can do.

You may never face 50,000 fans chanting on the 1st tee, but you can still bring structure, feedback, and better preparation into your own game.

Preparation Builds Confidence

The Europeans prepared for the moment, so that when the pressure came, they could rely on routine.

A great coach can help you prepare better. They can focus your practice on areas of your game that need the most help. They can help you with your own warm-up routine, pre-shot routine, technique, and mental focus on the course. They can help you come up with better on the course strategies. 

Work with a coach on Skillest to get personalized feedback to help you play your best golf.

Focus on What Actually Matters

Donald led a team trip to Bethpage weeks in advance. They played 27 holes over two days, studied green complexes, and built pair chemistry long before the tournament began. 

Donald and Vice Captain Molinari scouted the course and identified that putts inside 6 feet would be critical at Bethpage Black course. He had his team really focus on that distance in their practice.

Pre-scouting of the course, practicing on the greens, and having experience playing on the course in pairs helped to neutralize the home field advantage that the U.S. team had in this year’s Ryder Cup.

If you are trying to improve your own game, you too can use practice and preparation to give you the best chance to win.

For example, use an app like Arccos to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Maybe it’s driver accuracy you need help with? Or maybe you need to improve your approach play? Maybe you need help with lag putting?

Rather than trying to fix everything at once, identify your biggest weaknesses so you can focus your practice on what matters. 

The Broader Lesson

Europe’s win wasn’t just about who played better. Europe neutralized many of the U.S. team’s advantages through preparation. Donald helped his team find edges in places that most players overlook. 

That’s what coaching helps you do. It can turn your goals into specific actions. It brings structure to your practice. It helps you improve your technique and your ability to perform under pressure.

Coaching helps you focus on what matters, specifically for your own game. Explore world-class coaching on Skillest and start building your own game plan to achieving your golf goals.