At the start of December, we released a new documentary called Una Famiglia aimed at giving fans a glimpse into the unique ‘one family’ culture of Team Europe which has been instrumental to our success in the Ryder Cup.
This culture has been forged over many years and has been passed down from generation to generation of European Ryder Cup players, underpinned by our ethos that the Ryder Cup is about being part of something bigger than yourself.
The documentary was filmed by Ryder Cup Productions – the DP World Tour’s content team – meaning our players felt comfortable in their presence and that enabled us to take fans behind the scenes in a way we’ve not done before.
So far, the feedback we have received has been really positive and I’m delighted we have been able to give a degree of insight into the level of detail that goes into our preparations for the Ryder Cup.
I make a deliberate point of stressing ‘a degree of insight’, partly because we clearly don’t want to give away all our competitive secrets with the 2025 contest at Bethpage only months away, but also partly because it’s simply impossible to include every single element in a 90-minute documentary.
One such aspect that did not feature particularly prominently but is nevertheless a crucial part of our preparations is the Team Cup. Formerly known as the Hero Cup when it was previously played two years ago, it gives vital experience of team match play to some of the DP World Tour players hoping to make the 12-man Ryder Cup team later in the year.
It also gives me, some of my Vice Captains and the Tour staff the opportunity to spend time with these players and embed them into the ‘one family’ culture, even if they ultimately do not go on to represent Team Europe next September. That is important because while my goal is to win in New York, it’s also to build a foundation for players to make future Ryder Cup Teams.
Last time, six of the 20 players who featured for either Great Britain & Ireland or Continental Europe did make my Ryder Cup Team in 2023, with Nicolai Højgaard, Sepp Straka, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre all benefiting from their experience in Abu Dhabi.
I am hoping the 2025 Team Cup will be just as formative for Team Europe when we return to Abu Dhabi Golf Club in this month, and I am really pleased with the blend of the two line-ups we have.
In Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose we have two excellent playing Captains. Both are Major Champions who have extensive experience of the Ryder Cup, and they will pass some of that on to their team members. In addition to Francesco and Justin, there are four other players with previous Ryder Cup experience in the Team Cup Nicolai Højgaard and his fellow Dane Thorbjørn Olesen for Continental Europe, as well as Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton for Great Britain & Ireland.
They are joined by some very talented players, the majority of whom have won on the DP World Tour and in the cases of Aaron Rai, Matt Wallace and Matthieu Pavon, on the PGA TOUR as well.
With eight months remaining until my automatic qualifiers are confirmed for the Ryder Cup in Bethpage, the opportunity is there for all 20 players to state their credentials not only in the Team Cup in Abu Dhabi, but in the various tournaments they play in around the world in 2025.
I am certainly looking forward to seeing how they get on and spending time with them.
In the meantime, to everyone who watched Una Famiglia, I hope you enjoyed it and thank you for your support throughout 2024. There is, of course, now that added bit of excitement when the calendar flicks over at the end of December and it officially becomes Ryder Cup year. n
