Luke Donald has revealed what US President Donald Trump said to him on the eve of the Ryder Cup starting.
The 45th edition of the golf tournament which pits Europe against America has begun at the Bethpage Black Course in New York.
Europe are seeking to retain the crown they won in 2023 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy.
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And Europe - whom Donald is captain of the team - have got their defence off to a positive start following the first day of action on Friday, with the three-day tournament coming to a climax on Sunday.
Europe have a score of five-and-a-half points compared to the American score of two-and-a-half points.
Though the end result by no means decided yet and with two days of play still to come, it has put Europe in a very good position.
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To retain the trophy, Europe need to pick up 14 points overall, while the Americans will need to score 14-and-a-half points to win the tournament on home soil.
Since the current form of the Ryder Cup has been in place and became the United States v Europe in 1979, there have been 12 wins for the Europeans in 22 tournaments, nine victories for the Americans, and one tie in 1989 which saw Europe retain the honour.
US President Trump is in his second term in office in the White House, but is well known to be a big golf fan.
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He owns a total of 16 courses - including 12 in the United States alone.
With President Trump being such a supporter of the sport, it was no surprise to see him there on the Ryder Cup's opening day.
He arrived in a helicopter from Washington DC and appeared in the afternoon for the second session of play.
There he backslapped the American players, whose captain is Keegan Bradley, before turning his attention to European captain Donald.
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And Donald revealed the nice moment between the pair before he teed off.
Donald said: "Yeah, I saw Mr President and shook his hand and said hello.
"He said, 'You know what, you’re becoming a real great leader'. It was nice of him to say that. It was nice of him to support this event."
American captain Bradley spoke on President Trump's appearance and vowed it was an unforgettable experience.
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He said: "It was great. That was really a cool experience. Seeing an active President on the grounds of a Ryder Cup or at a golf event, what a cool thing.
"The flyover with Air Force One, I'll never forget that for the rest of my life."
Topics: Golf, Ryder Cup, Donald Trump
John McDougall