FARMINGDALE (AFP) — Luke Donald is using lessons learned in his college days from National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Michael Jordan to mold Europe’s top golfers into a formidable team at the Ryder Cup.

The 47-year-old Englishman attended Northwestern University in suburban Chicago starting in 1997 and became friends with Chicago Bulls superstar Jordan.

Donald never dreamed he would use the insights gained from the six-time NBA champion as Europe’s captain in this week’s showdown against the United States at Bethpage Black.

“Very surreal for me,” Donald said Tuesday. 

“I grew up in England, so I wasn’t that exposed to how big he was, but I came to college in Chicago in ‘97, sort of the end of his major run, and all you hear about is people talking about him.”

“So you understand, start watching more games and understanding the influence he had.”

Through mutual pals, Donald became friends with Jordan, an avid golfer and golf fan. As Jordan was winning his last NBA crowns in 1997 and 1998, Donald was winning the 1999 US college crown, breaking a record belonging to Tiger Woods in the process.

Donald gathered insights about what made Jordan not only a great player but a tremendous leader of championship teams.

“Michael is someone I’ve been very fortunate to get access to and pick his brain occasionally about what made him tick, what motivated him, how he was able to get the best out of himself,” Donald said.

“He was never going to do anything he didn’t ask his teammates to do. He set the example. He led from the front. He was very passionate about it and he was very good at breaking down things into smaller manageable goals.”