Luke Donald will hold talks with European golf chiefs this week as he weighs up whether to chase a Ryder Cup hat-trick.
The likes of Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have made it clear to Donald that they want him to continue in the captaincy role on the back of his wins in 2023 and 2025.
But the 48-year-old is wrestling with the commitment that would go into a tilt at Adare Manor, Ireland in 2027. The pull factor? That would be the chance of becoming the first captain in history to win the Cup three times in a row.
DP World Tour chief executive Guy Kinnings will make a play of that latter prospect when he meets with Donald at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic this week.
Donald said: ‘No decisions have been made, but I plan on sitting down with Guy this week and just seeing what it might look like, seeing what time responsibilities would go with it. We will sit down and see if it might work or might not.’
While Justin Rose, 45, is a natural captain-in-waiting, he has opted to focus on making the next team as a player. Francesco Molinari, one of Donald’s vice-captains, would be most likely to step up if Donald decides against another crack.
Luke Donald will hold talks with Ryder Cup bosses this week as he mulls chasing a hat-trick
It could mean he is on a collision course with golfing great Tiger Woods
Donald added: ‘The last few months, I’ve just been trying to de-stress and enjoy it.
‘It would be a lot more work, a home one, and there’s the fact that I live in the US too, so you’re traveling a bit more, and what does that look like, and how many times do they need me.
‘A few of the players have obviously expressed they’d love me to come back – I see Rory and Shane and Matt Fitzpatrick and some of those guys in Florida quite a lot. I have asked them casually if they would want me to do this the third time and they’re like, “Yeah, of course”, so it’s nice to get some of the backing from the players.
‘Nobody’s done it three times and won three times in a row, so there’s some bigger legacy points on up for grabs too. I think those things always motivate.’
If Donald does decide in favour, it could put him on a collision course with Tiger Woods, who has long been mooted as the US option for 2027.
Donald, who has won all three of his Ryder Cup matches against Woods, added: ‘Tiger has had my number for 99 per cent of my career, but I did alright against him in Ryder Cups.’
Lowry said: ‘I think it’s Luke’s if he wants it. Does he want it or not? I’m not sure. It’s a big undertaking for him, and he’s obviously been very successful. But there’s a huge carrot dangling there to go three in a row and be the only person to do that.
‘I think the last two Ryder Cups and the continuity of it all was amazing, and it obviously will be good to have that for Adare Manor. But it is his decision. It is a big undertaking for him.’
