'donald Banking On Experience For Bethpage Bear Pit'

Luke Donald is Europe's continuity skipper and not conscionable because he is nan continent's first repetition skipper since Bernard Gallacher successful 1995.

Opting to spell pinch 11 of nan 12 who triumphed successful Rome 2 years agone makes cleanable consciousness for Europe's bid to take sides nan Ryder Cup successful what, he says, will beryllium a Bethpage "bear pit" astatine nan extremity of this month.

All six of his wildcard selections - Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Jon Rahm, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Holland and Matt Fitzpatrick - played successful nan 16½-11½ triumph astatine Marco Simone 2 years ago.

With Rasmus Hojgaard snatching his debut done automatic qualifying, nan Dane replaces his copy relative Nicolai successful nan only change. Never earlier has location been truthful small rotation of players betwixt teams successful Ryder Cup history.

And while nan prodigious hitting of Marco Penge, nan world beating putting of Harry Hall and nan passion of Matt Wallace would each person been imaginable assets, Donald is banking connected acquisition for this assignment.

"It is extraordinary, and moreover much bonzer that we conscionable switched 1 relative for another," Donald told BBC Sport. "We've changed 1 first from Rome, I ne'er imagined that it would beryllium for illustration that.

"You usually person group that suffer shape for immoderate reasons and don't continually play astatine a very precocious level, but you person to spot that these guys person played astatine a very precocious level and really earned their spot connected this team."

Donald wants to harness that consciousness of continuity to find nan look that tin output a first distant triumph since nan 'Miracle astatine Medinah' successful 2012. To do that, nan skipper is preparing his squad to header pinch an expected dispute atmosphere.

"Of course, remembering what we did successful Rome is beautiful special, having those memories, those feelings, astir what we achieved together arsenic a team," he said.

"But I want to attack this from a different angle, a different group of eyes successful position of this arsenic a different challenge. This is not going to beryllium what Rome was like.

"We're going into nan carnivore pit."

So nan unit mightiness beryllium virtually unchanged, but nan attack will beryllium altered. "We person to travel astatine this pinch a really refreshed position of really we're going to tackle it," Donald added.

"Twenty months ago, erstwhile I was made skipper again, this was my first thought. It's like, what are nan things that haven't worked successful nan past distant Ryder Cups, and really do we correct that?

"I've travel astatine it from a different perspective of connection pinch nan players, what nan situation requires and really doing a heavy dive connected that and nan champion practices.

"My extremity arsenic a skipper is to create lasting memories pinch these players. We sewage to do it successful Rome, and hopefully, we get to do it successful New York, creating a week that they ever remember.

"And I thought we did a beautiful bully occupation successful Rome. So it's a large task to effort and make this week moreover better."

Donald would not beryllium drawn connected whether he would person preferred his other number, Keegan Bradley, to person named himself arsenic a playing captain.

"I've ever tried to support my activity astir things that I tin power and that was wholly retired of my control," said nan 47-year-old European skipper.

"We know, he's 1 of their champion players. And if he played, he was going to beryllium strong.

"We besides knew that if he decided to do that, it was going to beryllium a batch to effort and juggle both. But they look to person galore plans successful place.

"He's made his decision. He's decided that he has plentifulness of talent to switch him.

"I cognize Keegan well. He's a bully friend of excavation and I understand that he's going to bring a beardown passion, he's going to effort and get his troops beautiful fired up."

Now, though, we participate nan phoney war; 4 agelong weeks of build-up that will spot some teams summation competitory reps connected either broadside of nan Atlantic.

Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Tyrrell Hatton play nan Irish Open this week. They will subordinate nan remainder of nan squad astatine nan BMW PGA Championship astatine Wentworth nan pursuing week.

That is erstwhile nan mostly of Bradley's line-up return portion connected nan PGA Tour astatine nan Procore Championship successful Napa, California.

There will beryllium plentifulness of talk successful nan intervening period, pinch neither broadside overly keen connected being regarded arsenic favourites for nan Bethpage showdown.

Donald has already started. "Obviously, connected paper, they're very strong," he noted. "That location advantage is beautiful good. So, I still do judge we are underdogs."

But, arsenic expected, equipped pinch acquisition to perchance upset nan odds.

Listen to a play typical connected BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live from 21:00 BST connected Monday, 1 September pinch Iain Carter, Oli Wilson and Trish Johnson analysing nan teams.