Luke Donald has set a high bar. A ridiculously high bar.
His successful captaincy of Europe’s triumph in Rome two years ago, in itself magnificent, has been trumped by the sensational victory in New York last week.
The Englishman has plotted and planned to a remarkable degree – and Europe might be thankful that Henrik Stenson opted to choose LIV Golf over Ryder Cup Captaincy after all.
But who comes next?
The one problem with tremendous success is that the new man is under pressure to maintain it. And that’s not the only strain for the next European captain in 2027 at Adare Manor, Ireland.
There is, for example, a significant chance that Tiger Woods will captain Team USA.
And then there is the fact that Europe’s Think Tank determined that European away teams need an experienced captain.
There is no reason to think that they will change that plan for 2027 and 2029 which means that whoever gets the Ireland job will be expected to stay around until 2029 at Hazeltine.
Let’s see who is under consideration and who should get the job.
Justin Rose
In so many ways the Englishman is the perfect candidate.
He’ll be 47 in 2027 which is right in the middle of the ideal age range because he’ll still be playing on tour and therefore be close to the players.
He’s respected across the game for his longevity, his competitiveness, his classy work off the course and his statesman-like qualities.
The big problem is that he’s playing too well.
Last year he very nearly won the Open and this year he did the same at the Masters: the knowledge that he can contend in the majors will make him keen to do so again next year, as will his capture of the high grade St Jude Championship in August.
The European decision makers would love him to commit to 2027, not least because he could also work his way nicely into 2029 if they repeat the double header plan.
In fact, if they want to stick with two-time captains and want Rose to perform the role at some stage in the future, the next two matches are his sweet spot: he might be too old in 2031/2033.
He also has the maturity and stature in the game to take on Woods.
He hasn’t been a vice captain but his vast experience of the match somewhat mitigates that gap on the CV.
It’s a big decision for everyone to make. If Rose gets the gig no-one would want him to play well next year and become conflicted.
Francesco Molinari
A vice captain in Rome in 2023 and then again this year in New York, the Italian will know everything about the way that Europeans put together a winning strategy.
In that sense, he is a strong candidate.
Unlike Rose, he has hit a career flat point, much like Donald did before taking up the reins, so there is no conflict there.
There might be two concerns, however.
The first is that he might be a natural second-in-command rather than a leader.
The second is that he is likely to be up against Woods and there’s no way of avoiding the fact that everyone knows that Woods won his final major when taking down Molinari in the final round of the 2019 Masters.
That said, Molinari had taken down Woods on the back nine of the previous year’s Open to lift the Claret Jug.
Edoardo Molinari
If not one Molinari why not his brother?
Edoardo was once the more promising golfer but, with their careers coming to an end, Francesco has the better CV.
Edoardo has been the statistical wizard behind Europe’s success in the last two matches.
Like his brother there will be a concern that Edoardo is better suited to remain as schemer behind the scenes rather than take on other responsibilities.
Graeme McDowell
Had LIV never happened Graeme McDowell would be a top candidate, hailing from the island of Ireland.
But it did and, barring a miracle, he, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia have burned their bridges.
Luke Donald
Two more years? It was the cry from the fans in Rome and the players joined in.
Within months the committee men agreed it was the right idea.
The notion was again thrown Donald’s way straight after the success at Bethpage Black and he didn’t entirely rule it out.
But he’s a smart man. He’ll know that he’s done something sensational: does he want to risk marring the two-time triumph with a defeat?
And if he takes on the role in Ireland will he need to stay on for the next match?
That becomes a huge ask.
In an ideal world, Europe’s committee men would like Rose to decide that remaining a major contender next year is beyond him and to throw his considerable energy into being the Ryder Cup captain until 2029.
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Article Link: Ryder Cup: The five-player shortlist to be Europe's 2027 captain revealed