Luke Donald is a two-time Ryder Cup winning captain after leading Team Europe to glory in New York and the question now is whether he stays on yet again for Adare Manor.
Donald has been exemplary in his role as skipper and clearly, has the respect and love of all his team.
Indeed, Jon Rahm has called on Donald to stay till at least 2027, while Justin Rose has been quick to highlight the qualities Donald possesses.
As for the 2027 edition in Ireland, it remains to be seen whether Donald will once again lead Team Europe and look for the trifecta of wins.
And according to former captain Paul McGinley, it’s a decision that will have plenty of thought go into it.
Paul McGinley says if Luke Donald will be Ryder Cup captain in 2027
It might seem a long way away but we’ll soon be into 2026 and from there, it will come around before you know it.
For McGinley – who has acted as Europe’s strategic advisor – it remains a conversation to be had with Donald over the captaincy, albeit he has already had a bit of a chat with him.
“It’s a question of where are we going from here. Luke is not going to be 50 in two years’ time, so his seniors career will not have started then and he’s going to be an excellent seniors player because he still plays so well,” McGinley said.
“So it is a logical thing. I have spoken to him about it and we agreed to put everything on hold because we wanted to have 100% focus on what was going to happen this week and try and get over the line.
“It is genuinely a conversation for another day. In the next month. It’s not going to be tomorrow. Let’s let everything die down and take it from there.”
Paul McGinley on if a LIV Golf star could be Ryder Cup captain
Of course, the LIV tour has plenty of legendary Europeans over there who at one point, would be deemed nailed on to be Ryder Cup captains.
Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia had all been tipped previously to captain the side but due to their LIV moves, it’s been left in limbo.
Indeed, when asked about a captain being from the LIV side, McGinley conceded it was complicated as it stands.
“It’s a bit different on the PGA Tour and the legal system is different in Europe to what it is here. Where is presently stands is the sport of arbitration ruling was very much in favour of the European Tour. That they could defend themselves and give penalties to guys who went to LIV and they won that quite emphatically so guys who were part of that case, Sergio and Poulter and Lee Westwood, are not part of the European Tour, unless they pay massive fines, which Sergio did to try and come back and make this team.
“What happened with Rahm and Hatton is that they have appealed that ruling, that appeal has not been heard yet, so while that appeal is pending they were allowed to play in this edition.
“So the question remains if they lose the appeal that puts them in the same bracket as the other guys and what happens there? Are they going to pay fines to make themselves eligible again or are they not going to play Ryder Cup?
“So there are some big decisions with the European Tour in the months ahead and our strategic alliance with the PGA Tour means they will have an influence on what we determine as well.”
In the future, things may well change but as of now, those players will never make it.
The other issue is Rahm and Hatton, who come 2027, may also be ineligible depending on how the ruling or fines have gone.
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