Team Europe's Ryder Cup squad held a practice round at Adare Manor on Monday, taking an early look at the venue that will host the 2027 Ryder Cup next September. Sixteen players joined captain Luke Donald and his vice-captains for a team dinner and 18 holes at the County Limerick resort, ahead of this week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
The gathering included 10 members of last year's winning team, two further players with previous Ryder Cup experience, and four potential debutants. Most arrived straight from the Amgen Irish Open.
"Any time I'm asked to go to Adare Manor, I'm going to go happily and willingly," said Jon Rahm. "It's one of the best hotel golf course experiences there is in the world."
"It was a lot of fun. It was very enjoyable. I think those days are great for all of us to see each other and just in a way remember why we do what we do," Rahm added. "For those players who have never been there before, I think it's just getting those first nerves out of the way of how they may feel."
Adare Manor has previously hosted the JP McManus Pro-Am and will stage the Ryder Cup, the biennial team contest between Europe and the United States, from September 17 to 19, 2027. Donald is aiming to become the first captain in the competition's history to win three consecutive contests, after Europe's 15-13 victory over the United States at Bethpage Black in New York in 2025.
Who made the trip
Only Rory McIlroy and Rasmus Hojgaard were missing from Donald's winning Bethpage lineup. Alex Noren, a winner at Le Golf National in 2018 and a vice-captain last year, and Nicolai Hojgaard, part of the 2023 team at Marco Simone, also made the trip.
Alex Fitzpatrick and Kristoffer Reitan featured after impressive rookie campaigns on the PGA Tour, while Spanish pair Eugenio Chacarra and Angel Ayora were the other newcomers involved. Shane Lowry arrived later than the rest, following his 11-shot win at Trump International Golf Links.
"It was a lovely boys' day out, in the sense we got together and had a nice dinner," Justin Rose told the Sky Sports podcast. "There was some intention-setting of what it means to be on the team and what the plans are going forward.
"The round itself yesterday was very casual, very fun and just a first look at the golf course. Having Adare Manor pretty much to yourself is a pretty special experience."
"For them [rookies], it lights the fire even more in them to want to be a part of that team," Rose said. "It gives them the comfort to feel like they're already part of the team, in the sense of [being in] Luke's thoughts, the way of doing things and how the captain goes about it.
"It doesn't necessarily feel like a game-changing trip and 'wow, we have an advantage' or anything like that, but I think it's very important in terms of culture setting and all that."
Course conditions at Adare Manor
The players went out in groups of four in calm conditions, with some playing the course for the first time and others refamiliarising themselves with a venue that has previously hosted the JP McManus Pro-Am.
"With the good weather they've had in Europe, in Ireland, it was in as good a shape as I've ever seen it," Rahm said. "It was actually firm. They could have had it as fast as they wanted to.
"It wasn't overly fast because obviously I think they want the public to still enjoy the week. It was in perfect condition. It was immaculate."
The last two Ryder Cups held in Europe took place at venues used for regular DP World Tour events: Le Golf National, a past host of the Open de France, in 2018, and Marco Simone Golf Club, host of the Open d'Italia, in 2023. Adare Manor gives Donald a different challenge.
"The strategy around setting up the course is very different from when they have a lot of data from the [DP World] Tour," Noren explained. "It's a very difficult task to set that up, I think, to our advantage. We'll see how they do.
"It's the course and the resources where you can set it up pretty much however you want - you can grow in the rough, you can expand, and you can use tee boxes. It's like not particularly a blank sheet of paper, but you can do whatever you want."
Who missed out and what happens next
PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai was invited but unable to attend because of a close friend's wedding in Portugal on Sunday. Tom McKibbin, who played two rounds with Donald in Ireland last week, was not involved.
Ryder Cup qualification is already under way, with points available only through the Race to Dubai standings for the rest of this season, before FedExCup points are added from January.
Rose said he expects some new faces in the team next September. "I think freshening it up a little bit would be a good thing," he said. "You want your team to be experienced but to have some fresh energy is always great. Whether that be ideas, style of game, pairing options - to change is up is a good thing.
"There's plenty of opportunity for guys to break through. I think the transition from Whistling Straits (2021) into Rome was fantastic and I think that only strengthened into solidifying some of those players that stepped into that role at Bethpage.
"There are so many good young players, like the Højgaards [Nicolai and Rasmus], Ludvig [Åberg], even Bob [MacIntyre]. Those guys are now real stalwarts of the team. There has been a great transition in Europe, so we can afford another new batch of youngsters."
Continuity remains a priority
Europe carried 11 of their 12-man lineup and four of the five vice-captains from their 2023 victory through to New York in 2025. Edoardo and Francesco Molinari have already been confirmed for a third consecutive stint in Donald's backroom team, while Padraig Harrington has been added as a vice-captain on home soil.
McIlroy expects the bulk of Donald's last two teams to be reunited in Ireland. "If there's ever a place to blend rookies, it is in Europe," he told Sky Sports. "The thing that I preach around the European Ryder Cup team is there's this continuity.
"I think continuity between the captain, the players, the vice captains is a big thing in a team environment. Look, inevitably there might be some new faces on that team, but I don't think there's certainly not going to be wholesale changes.
"I think the nucleus of our team will remain the nucleus. You might have a couple [new] maybe, but I'd say for the most part, as long as everyone plays well and stays injury-free, you're going to have a very similar looking team to what we've had the last couple."
