Luke Donald delivers Ryder Cup promise as golf legend makes Ted Lasso comparison

Luke Donald has promised a new wave of dad jokes as Europe prepare to defend the Ryder Cup on US soil this week, with golf legend Nick Faldo thinking he has copied Ted Lasso

Sir Nick Faldo has likened Luke Donald to the character Ted Lasso, albeit with a better winning record, due to the positive atmosphere the golfing legend has seen him foster within Team Europe.

The European captain has pledged more light-hearted humour and enjoyment this week before tackling the serious task of retaining the Ryder Cup on American soil.

Faldo, a six-time Major champion, was a guest at the State Banquet for Donald Trump at Windsor Castle, and he’s an even bigger fan of Europe’s Donald and the fictional coach Lasso.

Lasso, the coach of Richmond in the series, brought a homely optimism to his Premier League team, symbolised by the “Believe” sign above the door. Despite initial relegation, his team made a triumphant return to the top tier.

Faldo told the Mirror: “Luke got 95% right in the first one in Rome and he will improve on that with a little fine tuning. He has created the whole Ted Lasso attitude in the team room.

“I am a big fan of the show – and I felt the Rome locker room was set up very much like the Ted Lasso locker room, a square, meeting space. All it needed was a believe sign over the door. It felt like a chapel and very serene. It was fantastic. I believe the players are motivated to go and do something special. Why not?”

Donald nurtured a strong sense of camaraderie in Team Europe, leaving dad jokes on the players’ pillows each night.

Rory McIlroy shared his personal favourite. “If you’re an American in the living room, what are you in the bathroom? You’re a pee-ing! (European) That’s a proper dad joke. But little things like that all helped to build the team spirit. It’s only a week, but you feel like you have become family in a way.”

Donald has more comedy gold lined up for this occasion. “There will be some bad ones, yeah, just for a little light heartedness,” revealed the European captain.

“It’s not life or death. We are there to hopefully have fun and hopefully create some special memories. There might be a few idiots shouting out but we are going to enjoy it and embrace the crowd.”

Former 2008 Ryder Cup captain Faldo holds fonder recollections of Bethpage Black following his tied-fifth finish at the 2002 US Open after carding a brilliant third-round 66.

“I think we have a very good chance because the golf course is so good, so tough,” he explained. “You have got to give 100% concentration on the job at hand, each shot. It will help with dealing with what is going on outside the ropes.”

However, Faldo and his caddie Fanny Sunneson discovered a clever method of charming the local supporters during the first New York Major following 9/11.

“I was alright – I wore a “I love NY hat’,” beamed Sir Nick. “They came to us and asked if we would wear the hats. We said yes. We put the hats on and everyone loved us. Maybe the team should do the same! It is not a bad idea. If the team is giving rather than saying; Stay away from us.

“I think Europe has always been really good. Way more relaxed. Way more jovial. You get the crowd thinking: ‘Yeah, these guys are a good bunch of guys. Sure, we don’t want them to win but we are not going to beat on them too much’.”