Luke Donald has urged the men’s tours to launch a mixed team event that would run along the same lines as the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.
The Englishman captains Europe next year at Adare Manor, where he will attempt to become the first to lead his team to three consecutive victories in what will be the biennial match’s centenary. And after his female counterparts’ success in last week’s Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, Donald wants to see more of the transatlantic tussles.
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“Obviously, there’s some history in the past with mixed events,” Donald said. “You have the Grant Thornton Invitational right now that does that, while back in the day, the JCPenney Classic did the same. And obviously in the future, the [2028] Olympics is going to have a mixed event.
“So I’m all for having some events where we’re playing together and sharing each other’s talents. I think it’s great to see that. Who wouldn’t want to see a Nelly Korda or Charley Hull playing with a Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm or Scottie Scheffler; some of the best in the world in the men’s and women’s games?”
Charley Hull raises the Solheim Cup trophy after Europe defeated the US 15-13 – AP/Alastair Grant
The Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup are both significant money-spinners, but while the LPGA Tour would be desperate for the idea to become reality, Donald recognises that, with the PGA Tour overhauling its schedule and the DP World Tour soon to follow suit, it would be a difficult sell in their respective headquarters in Ponte Vedra and Wentworth.
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“I guess the issue of creating a Ryder Cup-style event, or whatever you’d call it, would take some time,” Donald said. “It would take a little bit of creating. All good events take time to create a legacy and history. And, obviously we’re seeing everything changing on the PGA Tour right now with the schedules and talk of doing some of that on the DP World Tour, too.
Donald wants the two leading men’s golf tours to make room in their calendars for the mixed transatlantic event
“So it would be a challenge just finding the time to fit it in and create something that was of real worth and value. But there’s certainly some history in the past of mixed events that worked very well, and I don’t see why not. If you could find the time to get these great players together, it would be something I think the fans would love.”
Donald is playing here at the West Course in the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour’s flagship event which begins on Thursday. September 17 is a resonant date for Donald as it is a year to the day until the 46th Ryder Cup in Adare Manor. On Monday, Donald took 16 members of his prospective team to the course and the 48-year-old can already sense the anticipation building.
“We’ll be celebrating 100 years next year, and obviously that makes it extra special,” he said. “To do it in a place like Ireland, which we all know, anyone who plays golf and has gone, visited Ireland and played the golf courses, the welcome you get there from the locals is going to be something special. I think it’s going to create an amazing environment for the Ryder Cup. I’m extremely honoured and to have a chance to do it three times and maybe create some history along the way is pretty cool as well. So definitely things are starting to ramp up with preparations and we’re getting very excited.”
Luke Donald is a Rolex testimonee. The Swiss watchmaker began its association with the Ryder Cup in 1995 and is now a worldwide partner
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