Thomas Bjorn named vice captain for Europe's Ryder Cup defence

The Dane, who was the skipper of the Europe side that won the biennial team golf event in Paris in 2018, was an assistant to Donald during last year's triumph in Rome.

Italy's Edoardo Molinari has also retained his role under Donald, who is looking to lead Europe to their first Ryder Cup victory on American soil since 2012 when the teams meet at the Bethpage Black Course in Long Island.

"I am very excited to have Thomas back on the team," said Englishman Donald. "Once I was appointed as captain again, my thoughts quickly went to who I wanted to have in the backroom staff - and Thomas certainly was one of those.

"He means a lot to me. He's passed on his knowledge and I've had a great relationship with him over the last few years.

"This is an away Ryder Cup, so the earlier we can start planning, the better."

The tournament, in September next year, will be the sixth time Bjorn has served as a vice captain and his 10th involvement in a Ryder Cup overall after representing Europe in three tournaments as a player.

"It was a natural progression from last time," said Bjorn, 53.

"We had a fantastic environment in Rome. Luke did an amazing job. He was a fantastic leader, not just of 12 players, but of the whole Ryder Cup Europe team that worked so hard behind the scenes."