European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald makes unsurprising announcement

Luke Donald has confirmed Thomas Bjorn has been re-appointed as a vice captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Ryder Cup Europe made the announcement on 16 April. 

Bjorn becomes the second member of Donald's team to return to their previous role. 

In January, stats guru Edoardo 'Dodo' Molinari was re-appointed as a vice captain.

Molinari, the elder brother of former Open champion Francesco, was seen as crucial to Europe's success. 

He lived up to his billing as Europe's secret weapon, helping Donald figure out the pairings that led to a 16 ½ - 11 ½ win in Rome. 

Bjorn will assume the role of vice captain for the fifth time. He also led Europe to victory at the 2018 Cup in Paris. 

The 53-year-old Dane told Ryder Cup Europe: "It was a natural progression from last time. 

"Luke called me and said he wanted me to carry on into New York, understanding that it's going to be a completely different Ryder Cup in 2025 at Bethpage.

“We had some conversations back and forth mostly about how to go from the victory in Rome and into a new set up for New York, debriefing on what happened in Rome and how we carry it forward.

“We had a fantastic environment in Rome. Luke did an amazing job. He was a fantastic leader, not just of 12 players, but of the whole Ryder Cup Europe team that worked so hard behind the scenes.

“It was amazing for me to be part of that because I knew how all of those things worked from Paris. To see how he added a few extra things in Rome and made it even better was amazing and I was very proud of him. He was exceptional.”

Donald said: “I am very excited to have Thomas back on the team. Once I was appointed as captain again, my thoughts quickly went to who I wanted to have in the backroom staff. And Thomas certainly was one of those.

“He means a lot to me. He's passed on his knowledge and I've had a great relationship with him over the last few years. To have those relationships, to enjoy the people you're spending time with along that journey is really important.

“This is an away Ryder Cup, so the earlier we can start planning, the better. It has more challenges than a home match, but now I have Edoardo and Thomas alongside me I can get together with them and start the planning process around how we can create the right culture for the team to succeed in New York.”

Bjorn was part of three Ryder Cup victories as a player. 

His debut in the competition came in 1997 when the late, great Seve Ballesteros was captain. 

At the time, he became the first player from Denmark to represent Europe in the competition. 

The 2025 Ryder Cup will be played over 26-28 September at Bethpage Black in New York. 

Team USA are yet to announce their captain but Tiger Woods confirmed before the 2024 Masters he was in talks with the PGA of America to assume the role. 

Woods, 48, had previously distanced himself from being the skipper. 

"There's too much at stake with the PGA Tour," Woods previously stated, alluding to the schism with LIV Golf. 

It has been suggested Woods wants to lead Team USA at Bethpage Black and two years later at Adare Manor in Ireland. 

If Woods turns down the captaincy, it is widely-assumed that either Stewart Cink or Fred Couples will be the captain.

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