The victorious captain has rewarded his Rome heroes after they delivered an emphatic performance over three days at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Italy to seal a statement 16½-11½ triumph over their below-par USA counterparts.
The victory extended Europe’s impressive home winning run at Ryder Cups, with their last defeat outside of the United States coming all the way back in 1993 at The Belfry.
It was also the perfect riposte to the 2021 debacle, when a European team captained by Padraig Harrington was thrashed 19-9 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Close friends: Luke Donald and Michael Jordan at the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National
/ Getty ImagesDonald was an extremely popular captain and has already said that he is open to skippering Europe once again for the 2025 competition at Bethpage Black in New York.
Keen to reward his players for their heroics in Rome, Standard Sport understands that the former world No1 has supplied each with their own customised pair of Air Jordans.
Basketball icon Michael Jordan is a close friend and neighbour of Donald’s over in Florida, with the latter seen sporting a pair of Europe-themed Nike trainers throughout the Ryder Cup at the wekeend.
The European players also received Rolex watches from the sponsor, as was the case when a team captained by Thomas Bjorn won the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris.
