Luke Donald offers support to ex-Ryder Cup teammate who is finding his form after "going through hell"

Luke Donald is the skipper of Team Europe for the upcoming 2025 Ryder Cup. Donald, who led his team to victory at the 2023 Ryder Cup, is assembling his team for the upcoming biennial event.

On Sunday (May 11), Donald sent a message to ex-Ryder Cup teammate Chris Wood on X after his strong finish at the Turkish Airlines Open on the DP World Tour.

"Nice to see Chris play well this week, quietly working hard at home, hope this week gives him the lift he needs to kick on," Luke Donald wrote in response to a DP World Tour post featuring an interview with Chris Wood.

The DP World Tour had shared the post-round interview with Chris Wood, where he shared the struggles that he had been through in recent years.

"Been horrendous, to be honest. Yeah, it's been, well since 2019 really, it's been I just feel like I've been going through hell," Wood said.

"So, yeah, to put a score together today is obviously great, but I wanted to feel like I want to feel like I know my game's there, not just put a score on one day, and I genuinely feel like I'm starting to do that now," Wood revealed.

In December 2024, Wood spoke about his struggles, but added that he was in a much better place.

"I have had a difficult few years where I've struggled to want to go to the golf course, let alone play. Whereas now I am much hungrier. The fire is very much alive for me to play. Results have been tough, but the first step was getting back onto the golf course and wanting to be there. I have done a lot of good work to get back to this place," Wood said via Mirror.

Meanwhile, Wood finished T7 for the event this week at the Turkish Airlines Open and has registered his first-ever top-10 finish since 2018. Wood and Rose were teammates at the 2016 Ryder Cup, where the United States beat Team Europe 17-11.

---

A look back at Chris Wood's peformance as a pro golfer

Chris Wood made his debut on the DP World Tour in 2008 and has registered three wins on the tour. He hasn't had a DP World Tour card since 2023 and has played just three events since 2023, and is relying on invites to play pro golf events.

Meanwhile, Wood is a former Ryder Cup player as he was part of Team Europe in 2016. He played two games with one foursome and a singles match on the final day. He was paired with Justin Rose and the two won a foursome against Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson. Woods was beaten in his final day singles match by Dustin Johnson.

Luke Donald is now the skipper of Team Europe, and if Wood can continue his impressive run on the DP World Tour, he could have an outside chance of getting selected as a the captain's pick for the 2025 Ryder Cup.