After completing a career grand slam in April, Rory McIlroy helped Team Europe clinch the 2025 Ryder Cup in September. And now the Green Jacket winner has explained why the USA struggled.

Rory McIlroy, speaking on The Overlap with Gary Neville on Jan 2, explained that under Captain Luke Donald, Europe emphasizes the opening two days of the Ryder Cup. 

"There's 16 points to play for those first two days. And that's where Europe can really, like, get a lead like we did this year." said the Irishman.

Across the first two days, there were 16 points available through eight foursomes matches and eight four-ball matches.

McIlroy also talked about Europe’s team continuity and leadership structure, comparing it to the United States.

"We have a lot of continuity within our team. Same captain, same vice captains. I feel like there's a lot of turnover in the American team year to year," Rory McIlroy said during the podcast.

The PGA of America appoints a new captain for each Ryder Cup cycle. Over the last three events, the United States moved from Steve Stricker (2021) to Zach Johnson (2023) to Keegan Bradley (2025).

In contrast, Europe retained Luke Donald as captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup after 2023, with much of the same support staff kept in place to maintain continuity in team operations.

How did Rory McIlroy and Team Europe win?

Under captain Luke Donald, Europe won all four sessions across Friday and Saturday and entered the Sunday singles with an 11.5–4.5 lead, a margin of seven points.

The United States won 8.5 of the 12 singles matches on Sunday, but Europe obtained the points required to retain and then win the trophy. 

Although the United States produced a strong final-day performance, the team lost the overall competition because Europe had already built an 11.5–4.5 lead across the first two days. Europe required 2.5 points on Sunday to win the Cup outright, or 2 points to retain it.

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi