I listened to Ryder Cup captains and noted a challenge for Europe, different Furyk and Adare Manor magic

It’s the second time the biennial bout between Europe and the United States is being held in Ireland, with the home team, captained by Ian Woosnam, storming to a record 18.5-9.5 victory over the Americans at The K Club in 2006.

More than 20 years on, Luke Donald will lead Europe into battle next September, with the Englishman bidding to create history by becoming the first captain from either team to win three matches following victories in Rome and New York in the last two encounters.

His opposite number on this occasion will be Jim Furyk, who is back at the US helm for a second time after tasting defeat as a captain in France in 2018, when he was up against Thomas Bjorn.

Having attended a joint-press conference hosted by the two captains then sitting down for a chat with both of them afterwards, here are my six main takeaways from being at Adare Manor.

Europe feel comfortable on US-style course

It had become the norm for Europe to play home Ryder Cup matches on courses that hosted DP World Tour events, with The Belfry, Celtic Manor, Gleneagles, Le Golf National and Marco Simone all being cases in point. In contrast, Adare Manor hosted back-to-back Irish Opens in 2007 and 2008 while the last JP McManus Pro-Am was held there in 2022. Hence why Donald hosted a get-together involving 16 players - one being Bob MacIntyre - between the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship last month and there is absolutely no denying that it is an extremely US-style course with lots of steep drop offs around elevated greens. Oh, and quite a bit of water on it, too. “I think it certainly has been an advantage having home Ryder Cups at venues for DP World Tour events as you're playing a tournament and tournament conditions on that,” acknowledged Donald. “But I think we can get enough people playing here that it won’t be too much of an issue. From the trip a few weeks ago, I think eight or nine of them had not been here and I plan on doing a practice trip around the Irish Open (being held next year in the first week of July at The K Club) as well.”

Furyk has evolved from being a losing captain in France

According to Alex Miceli, one of the leading US golf writers, Furyk’s first go in the role wasn’t something to be proud of and a 17.5-10.5 defeat for the visitors would seem to back that up. Some more Ryder Cup backroom experience since then, though, as a vice captain, coupled with a winning Presidents Cup captaincy, definitely seems to have made a big difference. “A lot more experienced,” said the former US Open champion of how he has changed over the past eight years. “Leading into ‘18, I played in a lot of Ryder Cups, but that didn't necessarily mean I understood what it took to be the best captain possible. I think I understand the leadership role a little bit better, but I'm still trying to learn. I'm still reaching out, trying to better myself from other coaches, from other captains, from you name it, CEOs, businessmen alike.”

Adare Manor is perfect choice for centenary edition

The milestone edition deserves to be hosted at a special venue and the County Limerick resort owned by J.P. McManus is certainly that. “It's hard to speak highly enough about this place,” observed Donald. “I was with J.P. a couple weeks ago and he said something that kind of landed with me. He said, ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’. It's a very blessed place to come. I think it will be a very special venue for the Ryder Cup.”

Americans set to adopt new pre-event approach

Phil Mickelson threw Tom Watson under the bus at Gleneagles in 2014 and Patrick Reed had a pop at Furyk in 2018. Team harmony always seems to be an issue for the US but Furyk is a man with a plan for this match. Not only is he looking for around “15 players” to attend a get-together at Adare Manor but US pairings are also going to be more statistically driven than in the past. “I love and I have a lot of trust in our analytics right now,” he said. “I love and I have a lot of trust in both (his two vice-captains appointed so far) Justin Leonard and Stewart Cink, and I've got a good team around me right now that we'll continue to build on. We'll be prepared!”

Hat trick-seeking Donald doesn’t do complacency

Though his template worked in Rome after he got the job following Henrik Stenson’s switch at the time to LIV Golf, the former world No 1 tweaked things a bit for New York and, working in close connection to Edoardo Molinari, a statistical genius, Donald will do the same for this contest. He’s also well aware how strong the Americans are, as they showed when almost pulling off a stunning last-day fightback in New York then turning on the style in the singles to win the recent Presidents Cup at Medinah. “On paper, they tend to be stronger than us through the world rankings,” observed Donald. “Obviously we have a great record at home (the US last won on this side of the Atlantic in 1993), but I have zero complacency about how strong the US are going to be.”

Blank slates for both captains

Donald was delighted to see Pole Adrian Meronk, who felt he was harshly overlooked by the European captain for the match in Rome, win the 25th Dunhill Links last weekend, admitting it was a “nice little victory to have on your resume”. Furyk, meanwhile, isn’t holding any grudge against Race to Dubai leader Reed after Paris. “It's been a long time since he's been in our team room,” observed Furyk of the man once dubbed ‘Captain America’. “We are going to put the best 12 guys on this team; if Patrick Reed is one of those, that's great!”

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