03/04/26 11:04:00
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03/04 11:02 CST Luke Donald to return as Ryder Cup captain for Europe for 2027
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Luke Donald to return as Ryder Cup captain for Europe for 2027 competition
VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) --- European players chanted, "Two more years!"
when they won the Ryder Cup in New York, and Luke Donald listened. He was named
captain on Wednesday for the 2027 matches in Ireland, making him the first
captain in 30 years to lead in three straight Ryder Cups.
At stake for Donald is a chance to become the first Ryder Cup captain with
three straight victories.
"The last two Ryder Cups have meant a lot to me and my family," Donald said. "I
didn't imagine this third time would come. Celebrating on that Sunday night in
New York after a pressure-packed week in a tough environment, I thought maybe
my job was done.
"But maybe there is a little more story to tell."
Donald, a former world No. 1 from England, was never meant to be captain in the
first place. He seemingly lost out when Europe chose Henrik Stenson to be
captain for the 2023 matches outside Rome. But then Stenson gave up the job
when he joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf, and Donald stepped in and hasn't missed a
beat.
Donald led Europe to a resounding victory in 2023, and then last September at
Bethpage Black led his team to a seven-point lead going into Sunday singles. It
held on to win while coping with a hostile New York crowd.
That prompted U.S. captain Keegan Bradley to say, "I think he's the best
European Ryder Cup captain of all time, Luke Donald."
The 2027 matches --- the 100th anniversary of the Ryder Cup --- will be at
Adare Manor in Ireland. Europe has not lost on home soil since 1993.
Donald said he wanted time to soak up the big win at Bethpage Black, and it was
only about a month ago that he began to consider whether he wanted the job
again and whether to risk what already has been a stellar performance.
"You obviously do question the possibility of losing if you go again," he said
in a video call. "That is always the possibility in sports. You can only give
yourself the best opportunity. Winning and losing is not something you can
control. You can give yourself an edge and that's what I hope to do.
"Again, you have those thoughts that, ?What if this doesn't go right and we are
the first team to lose at home in 34 years?' Does that taint anything?" he
said. "I think there was many more pros than there were cons, and that's
ultimately why I'm sitting here."
Now it's up to the Americans to decide who will go up against Donald. Tiger
Woods again is the top choice to lead Team USA. Woods turned down the job last
time, leading to Bradley being appointed just 14 months before the matches.
Woods has said he hasn't decided whether he has the time to do the job justice.
He currently is leading an overhaul of the PGA Tour model. The Associated Press
reported last week the PGA of America has encouraged Woods to decide within the
month.
"Whoever the captain is, it doesn't really change my role," Donald said. "My
role is to formulate a plan to give our team the best opportunity and what the
U.S. are doing is kind of inconsequential to that. I look forward to whoever it
is."
Bernard Gallacher from 1991 through 1995 was the last captain to serve three
straight times, winning his last one at Oak Hill.
Donald was seen as an obvious choice for 2027, part of that a product of LIV
Golf because of other potential captains --- Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Graeme
McDowell --- who are with LIV. Justin Rose had said at the start of the year he
was more interested in playing for the 2027 team. Francesco Molinari was viewed
as another option.
"History is obviously important to me. As a team, as Ryder Cup Europe, we all
play for history," the 48-year-old Donald said. "We talk about it a lot, about
the guys who paved the way for us and the responsibility we have to inspire
next generations. But I don't think I have ever thought about history through a
personal lens. I just try to enjoy the journey and the day-to-day work to
create an environment that gives the players the opportunity for success. That
is what I focus on."
Walter Hagen was a winning captain four times for the Americans, while Ben
Hogan led the U.S. team to three victories, though neither was in successive
matches and those occurred in an era of U.S. dominance before Europe was part
of the Ryder Cup.
Tony Jacklin was European captain three times, and his players left with the
gold trophy all three times. The last one in 1989 was a tie, and Europe
retained the Ryder Cup as the defending champion. At stake for Donald is the
first to win outright three straight times.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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