Luke Donald has challenged his European Ryder Cup hopefuls to break the streak of American domination in the majors ahead of this autumn’s match in New York.

While momentum in the Cup sides with Donald, the United States have steamrolled through the majors with each of the last seven going their way ahead of the Masters this week.

It is a different picture on the PGA Tour, with Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg, Sepp Straka and Thomas Detry all landing titles in 2025, but there is a growing urgency for one of Donald’s players to lay down a marker before the meeting at Bethpage Black.

He said: ‘Seven in a row from the US is not ideal. Again, it would be great just keep to keep that vibe and the momentum going with a European win. It doesn’t have to be this week but at least one of the majors going into Bethpage.

‘They won quite a few before Rome and it didn’t make a difference. Individual versus team - it is a different mindset. Majors versus Ryder Cup. It is not necessary but it would certainly be very nice.’

Donald is not playing at Augusta National, but will be onsite until Saturday as his preparations for Europe’s Cup defence escalate.

The most intriguing possibilities on his radar concern Sergio Garcia, who has paid hefty fines to the DP World Tour following his defection to LIV in order to make himself eligible for a first Cup appearance since 2021. As the all-time leading points scorer in the event, the 45-year-old has a credible claim to inclusion after rediscovering his form on the breakaway circuit.

In Donald, he also has a long-time supporter and former team-mate, which could feed into his potential for a captain’s pick if the Spaniard is unable to plunder sufficient ranking points from the four majors. There is a school of though that Garcia’s experience will be invaluable in a raucous atmosphere, though it is also known that his departure to LIV caused acrimony among other elements of the European locker room, including Rory McIlroy and Bob MacIntyre.

Donald said: ‘You want to see people performing well at major championships. Sergio is certainly one of those guys.

‘I think for an away Ryder Cup you look at experience probably a little more heavier than you would on a home one. Experience is certainly something I will take under a little more consideration this time around than I probably would at a home Cup.’

On the potential impact that Garcia’s inclusion might have on team dynamics, Donald added: ‘Whatever differences you have, it's on me to deal with that. Part of my job is to figure that out, to create a cohesive team. I don’t have any big worries about that to be honest. They (the players) respect each other, they know what the goal is. Whatever that stuff might be, it won’t be an issue.’

If there are concerns on the European front, they point towards Matt Fitzpatrick’s nose-dive in form, though that has been offset partially by Hovland last month claiming a first PGA Tour title since 2023.

Donald said: ‘I have spoken to Matt. It can turn around quickly. I haven’t see him much but I reached a couple of weeks ago. He lives near me and wants to have a chat. I will do everything I can to help. He works very hard and golf is a fickle game. You just need one good week and you can get it back quite quickly. Hopefully that will be the case for him.’

On Hovland, Donald said: ‘He is unique. Sometimes too much knowledge can be a bad thing. I talked a lot with him last year, trying to guide him how to practice a little bit better. I think he gets a little bit down a rabbit hole, sitting on the range for seven hours trying to figure it out. That’s not the only part of the game but you need to have a plan.’