With 11 of the 12 players leading the Ryder Cup later next month and scheduled to play in next week’s BMW PGA Championship, Luke Donald will be as thorough as expected in his game preparations.
Just like the way his team prepared for the Rome Ryder Cup two years ago, the European side will be taking a two-day reconnaissance trip to Beth Page Black, following the BMW PGA Championship near London.
The team, Donald and support staff will be holding a charter flight from London on Sunday following the final round of the DP World Tour flagship event, spending two days practicing and preparing at Beth Page.
All members of this year’s team except Sepp Straka are currently committed to heading to the US for a scouting trip, including Rory McIlroy, who has played the BMW PGA and confirmed to join GolfChannel.com.
After the scouting trip, the team stays in the US until the Ryder Cup, helping them adjust to their new time zone.
The European team made a similar trip to Marco Simone, between the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship two years ago.
The US Ryder Cup team is also beginning preparations early, with 10 of the 12 players scheduled to play the Procol Championships currently being held in Napa, California.
Xander Schauffele and Bryson Dechambeau are two players who are currently not committed to the first fall event of the PGA Tour, and Dechambeau will not be allowed to participate as they are members of Liv Golf.