Luke Donald says Bob MacIntyre has 'attributes to be Ryder Cup superstar'

Luke Donald liked what Bob MacIntyre had to say for himself even before the Oban man staked an early claim to be one of the 12 golfing gladiators the European captain wants to lead into battle in next year’s Ryder Cup in Rome.

As part of a ‘Year to Go’ event, Donald and US counterpart Zach Johnson visited the Colosseum in the Italian capital on Tuesday morning before the pair shared some thoughts on various topics relating to the biennial event.

They included a possible role for Tiger Woods and the potential impact on the match by the ongoing LIV Golf saga, with Donald also offering his thoughts on the start to Europe’s qualifying campaign.

Shane Lowry won the opening event, last month’s BMW PGA Championship, holding off both Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm at Wentworth in the process, while MacIntyre and Italian Guido Migliozzi then triumphed in the DS Automobiles Italian Open and Cazoo Open de France respectively.

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and US counterpart Zach Johnson visited the Colosseum as part of the 'Year to Go' celebrations in Rome. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

The week prior to MacIntyre and Migliozzi landing their sweet successes, Donald had played with both of them as part of his mission to get to know the new wave of young talent on the DP World Tour.

“Hopefully it wasn't a coincidence,” said the former world No 1, smiling, as he spoke at Hotel Rome Cavalieri, where, away from the course, the two teams will enjoy stunning views of the Eternal City. “Hopefully my calming influence was an inspiration to them.”

MacIntyre’s win, of course, came at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, where the transatlantic tussle is being held, with the 26-year-old landing his second DP World Tour title in style by beating US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick in a play-off after also upstaging world No 2 McIlroy and the highly-rated Viktor Hovland as well over 72 holes.

At Wentworth, McIlroy had talked about the likes of MacIntyre and the Hojgaard twins - Nicolai and Rasmus - being the “future of the Ryder Cup” and, on the back of Europe having suffered a thumping defeat in last year’s contest at Whistling Straits, coupled with the likelihood of LIV Golf players being frozen out, Donald was asked if he felt a changing of the guard was almost inevitable.

Zach Johnson and Luke Donald conduct a press conference in Rome as part of a Ryder Cup 'Year to Go' event in the Italian capital. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

“A lot of that stuff is up in the air, but there are always generational changes at some point,” said the Englishman, who played in four Ryder Cups, including the Miracle at Medinah a decade ago, before serving as an assistant captain on two occasions.

“Some guys will have played a lot of Ryder Cups and get to an age where their games fall off and they are less able to compete. I fully expect to have some guys who have played Ryder Cus and some new blood.

“I'm excited about the way the qualification has started, people like Bob MacIntyre and Guido, young guys who are hungry. They don't really know what the Ryder Cup is like, but I get a sense that it is a big part of their goals. We saw Bob MacIntyre, the first thing he said in his speech (after winning the Italian Open), was his sole goal was to make the team. That's inspiring and great for me to hear.”

Later, speaking to The Scotsman, Donald revealed that he already liked what the left-hander had to say as he overhead an interview MacIntyre did with Tim Barter of Sky Sports Golf in one of their two rounds as playing partners in the BMW PGA Championship.

Luke Donald shakes hands with Bob MacIntyre after they played together in last month's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

“He was interviewed on one of the holes at Wentworth and I was walking past,” said Donald. “He was asked 'do you feel extra pressure playing with me' and he said, 'not really, I always play attacking golf'. I liked that answer.

“He's not trying to impress me. He seemed to have an old head on young shoulders. We saw that going up against Matt Fitzpatrick, the US Open champion, he didn't do anything wrong and played that hole perfectly to win. He doesn't seem intimidated and he seems hungry and they are great attributes if you want to be a superstar in the Ryder Cup.”

Talking of superstars, Woods is set to play some part as the US bid to record a first win on foreign soil since 1993, though it remains to be seen if that will be in person or not.

“He is very much going to be relied upon,” declared Johnson, who has taken over the reins from Steve Stricker after his successful stint on home turf a year ago. “He's calculating when it comes to these team events, and he's very involved, whether it's phone calls, FaceTime, text messages.

“I'm not going to sit here and say he's going to be here or not. I don't know yet. But I do know that he will serve in some capacity. He loves to serve. I remember in 2016 when he was a vice captain, he fully embraced his role.

“Davis [Love] had him as a vice captain and I remember talking to him and he goes, ‘hey, you might be in this position one day’. He welcomes the difficulty in however he serves, and I will rely on him. Some of the players know him well. He's very much a part of Team USA. He's very passionate about the Ryder Cup. It shows in a number of different ways.”

As things stand, Johnson’s side will not include any LIV Golf players while a court case in February will determine if the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia have a chance of wearing European colours again in some capacity.

“No,” replied Johnson in an emphatic tone to being asked if the match could be devalued if everybody is not eligible? “Because I think the beauty of the Ryder Cup is that it signifies the absolute notion and sentiment that no one is above the Cup. It's about taking yourself out of it and being a team.”