Luke Donald and Francesco Molinari weigh in on next European Ryder Cup captain
LOS CABOS, Mexico – Luke Donald is still enjoying the afterglow of becoming a two-time victorious Ryder Cup captain after Team Europe did just enough in Sunday singles at Bethpage Black to secure a 15-13 victory at the biennial competition.
Donald, who turns 48 next month, became the first captain since Tony Jacklin, who served as European Ryder Cup captain from 1983-1989, to win back-to-back. It didn’t take long for the question to be asked if he’d be willing to do a third tour of duty, and so far Donald has been very close to the vest with his responses.
That didn’t change too much when Donald spoke to Golfweek after shooting 4-under 68 on Thursday at El Cardonal at Diamante in the opening round of the World Wide Technology Championship, but he did give a window into his thought process and some clues into which way he may be leaning. At the very least, he gave some excellent material for those of us that enjoy trying to parse his every word.
“I take time to think these things through. I don’t think there is any rush. I still want to enjoy this one,” said Donald, noting that he chatted a bit with DP World Tour and Ryder Cup Europe CEO Guy Kinnings in India a few weeks ago. “After this week, I have a little downtime and will chat with some people and see where we are.”
When Donald was asked to explain why he wouldn’t want to remain captain again, he offered his most insightful answer to date as to the deliberations that are just beginning before he hands down his verdict.
“I feel like I have climbed the mountain so to speak and I certainly have nothing left to prove. I love what it represents and am thankful for the opportunity to do it,” he said. “If I do it again I will probably put a hard cut that I won’t do it a fourth time. I do want to play Champions Tour in two years. Timing-wise, it does work. I have to talk to my family and whether it takes too much time away from them. That’s a possible reason [to turn down the captaincy], and whether someone else is better suited for the job. It wouldn’t be from a fear of losing. If you approach anything in golf like that you’re never going to get too far ahead. I’m a big believer in taking opportunities when they come your way and I’ve taken these last two by the scruff of its neck and done very well. I have to think things through a little more. That’s kind of my personality.”
If not Donald then who? Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, 46, in an interview with Bunkered.com, already has publicly said he would like the job at Ireland’s Adare Manor, the host venue in 2027. He has his share of Ryder heroics and served as a vice captain on previous teams before leaving for LIV and giving up his DP World Tour membership, which could prove problematic for his chances. Henrik Stenson was relieved of his captain’s duties when he jumped to LIV and none of the other European Ryder Cup stalwarts — Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter — who play on LIV have been involved in the team room either since their departure. According to a report from Jamie Corrigan in The Telegraph, England’s Justin Rose, who has been a Ryder Cup stud for Europe, has pulled his name from the discussion because he would like to make a run at making the team in 2027 at age 47.
“I understand that viewpoint if that’s what he is thinking,” Donald said of Rose, noting they had not talked about the captaincy. “Statistically, he was our best player at Bethpage. Why wouldn’t he think he can’t keep doing that? It’s very hard to be a captain and keep playing.”
Italy’s Francesco Molinari, 42, the 2018 British Open champion and the hero of Paris that same year when he was undefeated, served as one of Donald’s vice captains this year and certainly has the pedigree. Just don’t expect him to campaign for the job.
“I feel like it’s out of my hands, to be honest,” Francesco said after shooting 65 at WWT. “I’d be honored to do it. I’m not going to waste too much energy thinking about it. If I get asked, I’d love to do it. First, we have to see what Luke wants to do. We’d all love to see him come back. Let’s see what he does.”
Another viable option could be Molinari’s older brother Edoardo, 44, who has been Donald’s loyal sidekick at the last two Ryder Cups as a vice captain and credited for much of the data analytics work that has helped Europe be successful. Francesco said he and his brother haven’t talked about the captaincy, and added, “We both were very happy to be involved in any capacity with the team. To be honest, he’s probably happy to do the things he’s doing, which is the stuff he loves, without the stress and extra things that Luke has been doing the last four years.”
Could the brothers Molinari serve as the Ryder Cups first co-captains? Francesco chuckled at the suggestion when it was proposed to him.
“I’m struggling to think how that would work,” he said. “In any scenario if he was captain and I was his vice captain, or vice versa, I’m sure we’d end up talking a lot and making a lot of the decisions together.”
Working in Francesco’s favor could be his decision to play more on the DP World Tour next season – he moved back to Italy a few years ago after setting up shop in Southern California – after concentrating primarily on the PGA Tour in recent years. Unless he makes a late run in the final three PGA Tour FedEx Cup Fall events to make the top 100, he will have limited status as a past champion. But Francesco reiterated that the best-case scenario would be Donald re-upping for a third term and attempting to become the first captain in Ryder Cup history to win three cups in a row (Jacklin’s team retained the Cup in 1989 with a 14-14 draw).
“Everyone who has been involved the last four years would love to see him come back,” Francesco said. “When he does stop, it will lead a big gap, a big void to fill. It won’t be easy. It’s in everyone’s interest for him to come back one more time.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Luke Donald discusses doing a third term as European Ryder Cup captain
