Luke Donald has had a sporting great in his corner for close to three decades. But not this week. For the next five days, they’re on opposing sides of golf’s greatest grudge match.
Europe’s Ryder Cup captain and the all-time NBA great Michael Jordan struck up an unlikely friendship with the Chicago Bulls legend providing a blueprint for the golfer’s success.
Sources close to the basketball great have even told Daily Mail that while Jordan wants a USA victory, the depth of their friendship is so deep that he wouldn’t be sad to see Donald have a good weekend over the coming days on American soil.
‘Will he be happy if the US wins? Of course. Will he be happy if his friend Luke does well? Of course,’ an insider close to Jordan said.
They first met on the golf course in the late 90s. Jordan was still playing but in the twilight of his career while Donald was just starting out on a road that has taken him to his second Ryder Cup captaincy.
‘I’ve known Michael for a long time,’ Donald said when asked about their friendship by Daily Mail Sport during Tuesday’s press conference.
Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and Michael Jordan struck up an unlikely friendship
‘I got to play some golf with him even at the end of my college career back in the early 2000s being in Chicago. We had some mutual friends. He loved to play golf with good players, and I was lucky enough to be put into the group and we formed a friendship. We live very close to each other in Florida now and remain good friends.
‘I think Michael is someone I’ve been very fortunate to get access to and pick his brain occasionally about what made him tick, what motivated him, how he was able to get the best out of himself.’
Since then, Donald and Jordan have forged a close friendship, even becoming neighbors in the same secluded area of Jupiter, Florida, with just one house separating the golfer and Jordan’s sprawling property.
They’ve vacationed together. Yvette, Jordan’s wife, is friends with Diana, Donald’s other half.
Having a sporting great on hand, especially in the breakout years of a career, must have been a gold mine for Donald – albeit an intimidating one. But Jordan’s greatness was somewhat lost on Donald when they initially met.
‘I think it was very surreal for me,’ he said. ‘I grew up in England so I wasn’t that exposed to how big he was, but I came to college in Chicago in ’97, sort of the end of his major run, and all you heard about was people talking about him. So you understand, start watching more games and understanding the influence he had.’
Yet in the years since, Jordan appears to have become a close confidant of the European captain, who has gleaned nuggets of wisdom from a championship mindset.
Fostering a unified team environment was at the center of Donald’s philosophy as captain in Rome and the same can be said about his leadership in New York.
The pair of athletes have known each other since the 1990s when they met on the golf course
Donald has spoken glowingly of Jordan’s influence upon him over the years of their friendship
Donald has tailored the European clubhouse down to every last detail, including quotes from Seve Ballesteros, personal touches in each player’s native language and ‘the wall of history. But perhaps most important is the large open dining space that was designed to be ‘family orientated,’ catering not only the players but also their families and caddies.
It feeds into the perpetuated claim that for the Europeans, it’s more natural to come together as a team.
And Jordan – and his Chicago Bulls teammates – appear to be the inspiration behind Europe’s team-first ethos.
‘The thing I learned about MJ, is that he was never going to do anything he didn’t ask his teammates to do,’ Donald said this week. ‘He set the example. He led from the front. He was very passionate about it, and he was very good at breaking down things into smaller manageable goals.
‘One example was he wanted to win the scoring title, and he needed to average something like 38 points a game or something like that, but he just broke it down into quarters and made it simple.
‘I think it’s a good analogy about what that represents.
‘But he also taught me that — I think he won four or five scoring titles before he won an NBA championship. You need your teammates around you. You can be a team of champions but not a championship team. You always need the people around you. You’re always stronger being a collective.
‘I think that’s something that I certainly took from him, and I’ve tried to implant on my teams the last two times, that we’re always stronger together. Those are strong values that we try and live up to.’
The basketball icon has been a frequent feature at Ryder Cups over the years
That perhaps offers insight into how Donald approached the tournament in Rome, where his team clinched victory in 2023, and now how he may tackle his title defense. The only issue? This time he’ll have to do it without Jordan’s backing.
Jordan has been spotted a various Ryder Cups over the years and even predicted that Donald’s Europe would triumph over his own homeland in Rome.
And Donald hinted that Donald Trump’s appearance at Bethpage Black won’t be the only star-studded sighting at the famous Long Island course.
The European captain suggested that the NBA great could show his face again at this week’s showdown. Only this time, just like the president, he’ll be rooting for the red, white and blue.
‘Michael is also very close to Keegan [Bradley], and I’m sure Keegan has maybe leaned on MJ a little bit as well over the last year,’ Donald admitted.
‘He’s not going to specifically give me advice this time around,’ he joked, ‘but certainly my friendship over the years I’ve picked up many things. It’s nice to have someone that is a legend of their sport, the greatest ever, quite arguably, to sit down occasionally and pick their brains.
‘I think he’s here supporting, I believe, this week, but I think he will have a USA hat on as well this week.’
Jordan is a huge golf fan and it appears to have formed the basis of his friendship with Donald
Even if he just watches from afar, Jordan’s friendship with Donald means he is in somewhat of a win-win situation. ‘Michael is the biggest competitor there is and as he watches the Ryder Cup, he is watching it for the competition, he is watching it for his friends, and he is watching it as a fan,’ an insider close to Jordan told the Daily Mail.
‘It is not going to change his life in any way if Europe or the US wins, he just wants it to be an awesome event and he wants everyone to do great.’
While his loyalties are a little split, it remains a mystery who the basketball great will be putting his money on at Bethpage Black. His love for gambling is no secret, meaning he will likely have a financial interest in this week’s golf showpiece.
‘Michael’s heart might lie in his wallet,’ the source added. ‘The avid gambler that he is will absolutely come out during the Ryder Cup.
‘He hasn’t revealed on who he is gambling on, but you best believe that he is going to have a ton of friendly bets throughout the entire event that will spark his interests on who he wants to win or not.’
Donald and Jordan share a love of golf but they also enjoy fishing together in spare time.
Jordan is also said to have a close friendship with USA captain Keegan Bradley (left)
Donald once shared a birthday message to Jordan on Instagram, showing the two out on a boat at sea and captioned the image: ‘Happy Birthday to the G.O.A.T.
‘The most competitive person I know in everything he does, he always finds a way to win. He’s also one of the kindest and most sincere people I’ve been around.
‘He’s an inspiration to millions, including myself and I’m fortunate to hang with this legend. Happy Birthday MJ.’
Speaking on the-then European Tour’s ‘Life on Tour’ podcast in 2018, Donald said fishing was starting to replace golf as Jordan’s main hobby.
‘I think he’s getting a little bit bored of golf! So we go fishing a lot,’ he said. ‘I’d give him 10 shots though when he play. He knows how to play, he knows how to score. Very good short game, he can get up and down from nowhere.’
Jordan, for his part, is notoriously private but the fact in itself that he happily poses for pictures with Donald when they are out and about together demonstrates how comfortable they are in each other’s company.
But not this week. For one week of the year, their friendship is collateral damage as they stand on opposing stands of golf’s biggest battle.
