The 'chip on my shoulder' driving Europe's Ryder Cup bid against the Americans

“I want to win,” he added, revealing that the chip on his shoulder comes from when was officially the best golfer on the planet on two separate occasions yet some people didn’t give him any credit for that notable achievement. “When I was world No 1, I would look at any slight towards me and use that as motivation,” continued Donald. His lack of length perhaps? “Yeah, I’d find anything,” he admitted. “It was quite fuelling for me.”

The Englishman was speaking to a small group of British golf writers at Wentworth ahead of his bid to join Tony Jacklin as the only captain to win home and away in the biennial bout, having done a splendid job at the helm as Henrik Stenson’s replacement as Europe regained the coveted trophy with a 16.5-11.5 win in Rome two years ago.

“I would say it's a little bit less rushed,” admitted Donald of his second captaincy after taking on the role again after his players called for “two more years” as they celebrated the win at Marco Simone Golf Club on the outskirts of the Italian capital. “I have a little bit more time - 20 months - for this one and, having gone through it once, you sort of understand some of the things that you can be prepared for leading up to it.

‘There's times where I've felt very stressed’

“Messaging that I want to get across, communication with the players, all this kind of stuff has been a little bit more less rushed, I would say. But these things are not easy. There's times where I've felt very stressed, very anxious and that's kind of part and parcel with these big roles. I'm sure I'll be feeling the nerves as well when we get there.”

Incredibly, 11 of the 12 players under Donald’s captaincy in Italy are on the team again and, even then, the only change is Nicolai Hojgaard being replaced by his twin brother Rasmus, who got a taste of the event from inside the ropes on that occasion. “I am excited about where we are for lots of different reasons,” admitted Donald. “Confidence amongst our guys, the continuity. To have 11 out of 12, it's never been done before. I think they have a lot of trust in me. I have a lot of trust in them. We've done it before. That means something and, again, our goal is to create some history in New York.”

Europe’s last win on US soil came in 2012 at Medinah, where Donald was part of the triumphant team for a second time in America after also being on a victorious side at Oakland Hills in 2004. He is the only European player to win twice in the States in the contest.

“Winning is hard,” he stressed. “Only 37 European players have won away, which is a small number. But I think it's quite motivating for our guys if we can add ten more to that at Bethpage and we have won four times away. So we have a lot of examples of winning and winning in different ways, coming from behind, coming from behind in singles, blow-out wins.

“The atmosphere is something I've been thinking a lot about and I've talked to the players a lot and all that kind of stuff but we also want to embrace it. There's a lot of sports out there that wouldn't give any inclination to what an away crowd is like. It's an opportunity to do something amazing.

US team will feel ‘pressure’ from New York crowd

“I think the Americans are favoured because of the atmosphere, but sometimes the pressure can be on the home team as well. I felt that in Rome and I'm sure Keegan [Bradley, the US captain) and his team will feel pressure to form under the scrutiny of the New Yorkers as well.”

As was the case two years ago, Donald is being assisted by Thomas Bjorn, Jose Maria Olazabal and Edoardo and Francesco Molinari in the roles of vice-captains, with the one change in his backroom team seeing Alex Noren replace Nicolas Colsaerts. The Americans are being led by two-time Ryder Cupper Bradley, with this particular contest, partly because it is being held so close to New York probably, being billed by some as the most-anticipated match for a long time.

”I think every year the Ryder Cup gets bigger,” observed Donald. “And New York is just a massive place. It's the epicentre of the world economy. It has so many great sporting teams. They are obviously known as great sports fans. But I think we also understand that New Yorkers respect kind of that grit and that hard work and doing things the right way. There will be support for the US team, but we will hopefully get a little bit of respect for them by the end of the week.”

Donald laughed when he was asked if he was the type to jump into the crowd if someone steps out of line. “Throw some punches?” he said. “No, I’ve got to lead by example. But it can be (difficult not to get involved). It only takes one moment for something to happen. The messaging is clear from me how we’re approaching it as a team. Every individual is different, though. It doesn’t mean they are going to be quiet and keep their head down. They have to be their own self. You never know in these high-pressure situations, but all you can do is prepare the best you can.”

And, if the need arises, do what Donald did and use it as fuel.