Team Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald did not appear happy with the over $200-per-night accommodations his golfers stayed in on Long Island and took matters into his own hands.
Donald became the first captain to win at home and on foreign soil since Tony Jacklin when his side dominated Team USA in the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup matches this weekend.
Over the course of three days at Bethpage Black, the Europeans embarrassed the US. On the final day, a strong American comeback was snuffed out at the last as Europe retained the trophy 15-13.
But speaking to reporters after keeping the trophy, Donald revealed he felt the need to make adjustments to their hotel rooms in order to ensure maximum rest and comfort.
‘My job is literally to give these guys a better chance to win. It can be as simple as some very small things,’ Donald said.
‘I’ll give you an example. At the hotel rooms this week, the doors to our hotel rooms had a big crack that let in light. We brought things that covered the light.
Donald also remarked, ‘We put different shampoos that had a better smell.’
At this point, a victorious Rory McIlroy chimed in: ‘It’s Le Labo, if anyone was wondering.’
After some laughs, Donald continued: ‘We changed the bedding because the beds weren’t very good, and they just had sheets, and we created much nicer beds so guys could sleep. They could have more energy. Those are just little things. I’m going into some really small details.’
Shane Lowry, the golfer whose putt on 18 confirmed the cup would stay with Europe, remarked, ‘We won’t need to change the bed linen at Adare Manor; I can tell you that.’
After joking about the €1500 per night price tag, Donald then continued to talk about why he made such extensive upgrades.
‘It’s just taking the time and having the care that you want to do everything you can to kind of give these guys the best opportunity,’ he said. ‘You want create an environment where they can succeed.
‘These are 12 amazing players, we know that. You’re just trying to, again, put them in a position where they feel comfortable.’
While it’s unclear what kind of bed linens they purchased, a quick look at the Le Labo website shows that their shampoo runs as much as $63 per bottle.
But as for the hotel itself, it’s reported that Team Europe stayed at the 4-star Garden City Hotel – almost 25 minutes away from the course.
Looking at the hotel’s website, the cheapest room (which would likely not be the one the golfers stayed in) runs $418 per night.
This would cost over $2,900 per golfer and over $38,038 for just the golfers plus Donald.
That isn’t including accommodations for caddies or the wives and girlfriends of the competitors.
Whatever adjustments Donald made to help his golfers feel their best, it clearly worked.
By the end of Saturday, Team Europe was up 11.5-4.5 and in the driver’s seat thanks to their dominance in the morning foursomes.
The Americans gave it their best shot, winning 9.5 points off the singles events – which ultimately proved to not be enough.
