'We are all one' - Una Famiglia and the story of Europe's glory in Rome

By Mathieu Wood

In a sport which is inherently so individual, the Ryder Cup is anything but.

Even before the continent of Europe replaced Great Britain and Ireland in 1979 as opponents to the United States in the biennial matchplay contest, togetherness has long been a champion atribute among European players.

And that is at the heart of Una Famiglia, a new 90-minute documentary which tells the inside story of Team Europe’s 16½–11½ victory at the 2023 edition in Rome.

It features exclusive interviews with the likes of Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Ludvig Åberg, as well as past winning Captains José María Olazábal and Paul McGinley.

Following in the footsteps of European greats like Seve Ballesteros, Olazábal and Tony Jacklin, Donald was the man charged with reclaiming the Ryder Cup trophy after being brought in to replace Henrik Stenson, who joined LIV Golf months after his initial appointment.

In the opening scenes, viewers hear Donald reflecting on his captaincy experience as “quite the journey”. It is of course one that is ongoing after being reappointed for the 2025 encounter.

While the goal of winning back the famous trophy was realised on a sunny afternoon in the Italian capital at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the groundwork had been laid long before.

To unite 12 players from different backgrounds who have played with the mindset of an individual and make each of them feel comfortable both in their own shoes and as a team is no mean feat.

“At that time when LIV was just starting to make itself known, I knew there were going to be some challenges that other captains had never faced before,” Donald is seen reflecting at home in Florida earlier this year.

“There was some pressure. How could I get the guys in a good frame of mind with everything going on in the world of golf? How could I beat this very strong, young American team?”

Fielding the youngest team in its history, the United States had achieved a record 19-9 victory at Whistling Straits two years earlier so the task appeared daunting.

“Luke took that in his stride and as soon as he became the Captain it almost became his whole world,” says McIlroy.

While Donald highlights how he sought insight into leadership from the early days of his captaincy, he fully recognises the team behind him have been instrumental in the success he has enjoyed.

At the helm of the backroom team were his Vice Captains: Thomas Bjørn, Edoardo Molinari, Nicolas Colsaerts, Francesco Molinari and José María Olazábal.

In those five people, Donald had a broad scope of knowledge to fall upon, including past winning captains, one of whom with a close tie to the inspirational Ballesteros.

“To have José’s presence was truly special,” recalls Donald. “There were times when José would sit down and talk, and you could hear a pin drop because everyone wanted to hear what José had to say.

“Seve was someone who put his hand around José and showed him the way. And one of my first goals when I got the captaincy was to make sure I create connections that will last forever.

“You have to think about the ethos of how you can play for more than just yourself. That is at the heart of Ryder Cups.”

And for Europe, at the heart of their team ethos was a sense of camaraderie and belief.

“The passion, the relationships that are built is why the Ryder Cup is our heart,” says Olazábal.

Since the genesis of Team Europe, it has won golf’s greatest team contest 13 times, to the United States’ nine.

“There is no doubt that Seve combined with Tony set a new standard of culture within the European team,” says McGinley.

“Seve embodied this sense of camaraderie and the little guy rising against the big guy. And also, a sense of belief, and that culture has been handed down from generation to generation.”

In the big moments over the years, both captains and players have stepped up and played their roles in strengthening the bond that makes Europe a force that Donald could build upon.

Rahm, a two-time Major winner, knows the power of the event, having made his debut in 2018 and played in each of the last three editions.

“You are playing for the past, present and future generations of the game,” says the Spaniard.

“Egos out of the window, we are all one.”

But having a talented playing pool at your disposal is one thing. It’s another to make them perform together at their best on the biggest of stages.

After all, being a Ryder Cup Captain can be a humbling period. Donald realised that.

“With my golf subsiding a little bit, even though I have worked quite hard at it, my results haven’t been as good as I’d have liked it,” he says.

“To have this Ryder Cup captaincy in Rome and now Bethpage has given me a great focus and given me something to really get my teeth into and that has been really healthy for me.”

It is perhaps for that reason he took the job – with a little over a year to go.

And despite starting at a disadvantage, months after his opposite number Zach Johnson's preparations began, the lengths Donald and the wider backroom team behind him went to in ensuring the best possible chances of success is highlighted throughout the documentary.

A key factor in all that was the pre-tournament practice trip to Marco Simone that he organised in the weeks leading up to the contest.

“Playing the golf course and seeing Marco Simone was great but the magic of that trip was what happened on either side of the golf,” recalls McIlroy.

From what the Ryder Cup means to how you got into golf, players were open and vulnerable with each other in fireside chats that built a bond and spirit.

“We moulded quite well as a team, into a family,” Tommy Fleetwood is seen saying.

“We were just so close straight away. We were very excited for what was to come.”

All this happened just days ahead of the BMW PGA Championship, a prestigious Rolex Series event on the DP World Tour.

“I spent half the time playing Wentworth thinking about the Ryder Cup – that was how impactful that trip was,” recalls Rahm.

But the attention to detail also went beyond the golf course. Behind much of that was Donald’s wife, Diane.

From associating themes, including the history of Rome, to specific days, and creating gifts, she was and continues to be an instrumental figure behind Team Donald.

Among her acts were to arrange for a family member to put together a video that was shown to each player on the Monday of tournament week, with Fleetwood describing the video of his son Frankie as "one of the most special things anyone has ever done for me".

From bringing tennis great Novak Djokovic into the team room for a motivational speech to Donald speaking fluent Italian in his speech on the eve of the tournament, no stone was left unturned.

While many viewers may know that took place, many may not have realised that Matt Fitzpatrick turned up late for the pre-tournament gala at the historic Spanish Steps after he and his then fiancée Katherine lost their escort on the way.

Reflecting on that evening in Rome, rookie Åberg says: “We were greeted almost like a rockstar."

Those are words that sum up the power of the Ryder Cup and how it transcends golf.

From there, the programme tells the story on the course; from Europe's historic 4-0 opening foursomes session victory, to 'hat-gate' involving Patrick Cantlay, to the fallout of the spat between McIlroy and US caddie Joe LaCava and the tears of joy at extending an unbeaten home run to 34 years.

The hard work both on and off the course had not been for nothing.

“I have been involved in a lot of Ryder Cup teams and watched a lot of others too,” says McGinley.

“In my view, the performance of the team as a collective in Italy was the best I have ever seen from a European team.”

It's for that reason, and that overwhelming support of players, Donald is back to do it again - this time on away ground at Bethpage.

Victory then would see Donald emulate Jacklin as just the second Captain to lead Europe to victories both home and away, with his countryman having done so in 1985 and 1987.

While the venue will be different, what is certain to not be is the spirit that unites a European side.