Retaining Luke Donald as European Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 edition in Bethpage Black was not only the right option, but the only option.
A combination of circumstances and a fantastic win in Rome this year made the decision to retain Donald for a second term a simple one and it could serve as the blueprint for Europe going forward.
Donald will become the first man to captain Europe in successive Ryder Cups since Bernard Gallacher took the reins three times from 1991-95 when he takes his 12-man squad to New York in just under two years.
It’s a decision that will be met with unanimous approval from the current crop of players who were already calling for his retention after the final putt was held.
There were magnificent celebrations on the first tee after Europe lifted the Ryder Cup with Rory leading the chant, “two more years,” upon which the crowd joined in.
“I think everyone sitting here would be very happy to have him again,” said Rory McIlroy at the winning team press conference.
Donald also received a ringing endorsement from Pádraig Harrington at the recent Alfred Dunhill Links Championship where the 2021 European skipper suggested a home-away run of captaincies could be the way forward for Europe.
“Seriously though, heading to the ’25 Ryder Cup, there is a real possibility that a captain should stay on board for back-to-back Ryder Cups, and for home-and-away roles.
“It’s so unpalatable to accept an away captaincy that I feel that maybe home-and-away would be a good way going forward, though the only thing against that is that we do work on a principle, and doing that, some of our best captains would not have got the job.”
Given that eight of the last nine Ryder Cups have been won by the home side, continuity seems like Europe’s best bet to end a run of just one away win (2012) since 2004.
After a period of dominance in the biennial contest by Europe, USA have won the last two Ryder Cups played on American soil with Davis Love III and Steve Stricker leading the Stars and Stripes to facile victories.
After the 2012 edition in Medinah, Chicago, USA returned to Love III for the contest in Hazeltine and it paid dividends. Before Stricker took the reins for the record-breaking victory in Whistling Straits two years ago he had already served his apprenticeship as Presidents Cup captain in 2017, so the transition seemed inevitable.
Europe will take this route for the next edition and it is something they should stick with. European captaincy should be a four year term. Even if the captain loses the home Ryder Cup the experience of having captained a team could prove invaluable heading to the US in a competition that his becoming top heavy with home wins.
When Donald took over the duties vacated by Henrik Stenson who moved to LIV Golf, the future of Europe in Ryder Cups looked bleak as this was seen as unnecessary upheaval before a period of transition began. Now, this safe pair of hands is perfectly placed to lead Europe into the hotbed that is New York.
Circumstances have helped as players moving LIV Golf has seen Europe lose a generation of potential captains – some even who might have got the nod before Donald to replace Stenson.
The vehement player support for Donald coupled with the lack of obvious candidates to succeed him make this path the obvious one for Europe to take.
Even if a potential merger agreement allows LIV players to come back to the DP World and PGA Tours, it is hard to imagine some of LIV’s biggest opposers (Rory) being in the same room as an Ian Poulter or a Lee Westwood culminating in a harmonious team room.
Had he not performed so well in Rome, Justin Rose would have perhaps been seen as the ideal successor to Donald in two years but he will surely have designs of enjoying another playing role at Bethpage Black. 2027 in Adare Manor, a captaincy once destined for Graeme McDowell now looks like the ideal time for Rosey to cap off a fantastic career.
Then there is the playing personnel of which Donald has guided through a transitional period and changed the profile of his team from an ageing jaded 12 to the perfect blend of experience and youthful exuberance.
There is an argument that Europe could rock up to the Big Apple with the same twelve players they had in Rome and win the Ryder Cup. Adrian Meronk and Rasmus Hojgaard will surely have something to say.
But as Poulter, Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey were all shipped on to LIV, Europe will head Stateside with their core group of players still in their prime. Add to that the fact that Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard will improve even more. The Swede might have multiple major championships under his belt by then!
Rory McIlroy boldly declared at the winning team press conference that winning an away Ryder Cup is the hardest thing to achieve in golf but it is what Europe will do in 2025.
With Donald at the wheel, they might just do that.
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