Jose Maria Olazabal appointed as vice captain for Ryder Cup

Team Europe's Luke Donald handpicked Jose Maria Olazabal as his third assistant captain for this year's Ryder Cup on Wednesday.

Olazabal, 59, led the Europeans to a remarkable 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 triumph at the 2012 Ryder Cup event in Medinah, Illinois.

That marked the most recent occasion that Europe emerged victorious in the biennial competition on American soil. The 2025 Ryder Cup is scheduled to take place from September 26-28 at Bethpage Black in New York.

"It's extremely challenging to secure a win on foreign turf in the United States. We expect the crowds to be raucous and the course to be set up in favor of the American team," Olazabal stated. "There is no greater test for a golfer than facing a Ryder Cup away from home, and we must be mentally prepared."

This will be Olazabal's fifth stint as an assistant captain, including his role in 2019 when Team Europe clinched a 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 victory in Italy. The Spaniard also served as a vice captain in 2008, 2010, and 2014.

Donald previously announced the selection of Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and Italy's Edoardo Molinari as assistant captains.

Olazabal, a two-time Masters champion, competed in the Ryder Cup seven times from 1987 to 2006.

"He is synonymous with European golf and the Ryder Cup," Donald praised. "He embodies the spirit of the competition like no other. His passion for the Ryder Cup is unparalleled."