Staff WriterAlex Noren has been handed the final vice-captaincy slot for Europe’s 2025 Ryder Cup campaign, with Captain Luke Donald completing his backroom staff ahead of the showdown at Bethpage Black in New York this September.
For Noren, the 43-year-old Swede with a knack for holing putts that could rattle windows across Paris, the call came as a surprise. “It was a big shock when I found out. I didn’t expect it at all. I want to bring a good attitude to the team room. Bring some knowledge. I’ve been in this game a long time,” he said.
If you cast your mind back to Le Golf National in 2018, you’ll remember Noren as the man who buried a 40-foot dagger on the 18th green to defeat Bryson DeChambeau 1up in the Sunday singles.
That putt was the exclamation point on Europe’s 17½–10½ demolition of the Americans.
Now he joins a vice-captain roster that reads like a European golf hall of fame dinner: Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, Thomas Bjørn, José María Olazábal—and Noren, the final piece of Donald’s carefully assembled puzzle.
Donald on Noren: “It’s never about Alex”
Donald could hardly hide his enthusiasm. “I’m really delighted to announce Alex Noren as our final Vice Captain. Alex brings a lot to the table, he is obviously a Ryder Cup player himself, having played in 2018 in France, and he has played on both the DP World Tour and the PGA TOUR at a very high level.
“He will do everything that he can to help the team. He’s a humble guy, it’s never about Alex. It’s always about the team and I just think he has great characteristics, which will be vital for his role as a Vice Captain.”
Donald also noted the Swede’s reputation for meticulous preparation. “I love Alex’s demeanour, his work ethic, how he goes about things. He prepares as well as anyone when it comes to his golf. And you know that is important.”
Used to the American cauldron
Noren knows what awaits in New York—a crowd that will make the Paris galleries sound like a church choir. “This Ryder Cup is going to be one of the toughest ones to win because of where it is. It’s going to be a very tough crowd, but I think that can feed our players as well,” he said.
“All of us who are part of the team have played a lot in America, so we’re used to the fans, we’re used to the courses, the course setups.”
A proven team man
Outside the Ryder Cup, Alex Noren has quietly stacked up 11 DP World Tour wins, including his second Betfred British Masters title just last month. His résumé in team golf is equally robust: the Royal Trophy (2010), Seve Trophy (2011), World Cup of Golf (2011, 2016), and the 2018 EurAsia Cup, where Europe’s win set the tone for that Paris triumph later in the year.
He returned to team duty at the 2023 Hero Cup, once again contributing to Continental Europe’s victory.
The last puzzle piece
Donald summed up the mood: “It’s full steam ahead now. I’m extremely excited to have everything in place, the last pieces of the puzzle. The team is set, the VCs are set, and we’re ready to go.”
With Alex Noren on board, Europe’s Ryder Cup machine looks well-oiled and braced for battle. Now it’s just a matter of marching into the New York cauldron and seeing if history can be made again.
