Luke Donald sets a high bar. A ridiculously high standard.
The captain who successfully won in Rome two years ago beat him by a sensational victory in New York last week.
The British painted and planned to some extent – Europe might thank Henrik Stenson for choosing Liv Golf over Ryder Cup captain.
But who is who?
One problem with great success is that newcomers are under pressure to maintain it. This is not the only pressure for the next European captain in 2027 to be in Adare Manor in Ireland.
For example, Tiger Woods has a great chance of being Captain America.
Then there is the fact that European think tanks determine that European visiting teams need an experienced captain.
There is no reason to think they will change plans for 2027 and 2029, which means that anyone who gets a job in Ireland will be expected to stay in Hazel until 2029.
Let’s see who is considering and who should find a job.
Justin Rose
In many ways, the British are the perfect candidate.
He will be 47 in 2027, just in the middle of his ideal age range, as he will still play on the tour and therefore stay close to the players.
His longevity, competitiveness, graceful work on the court, and his politician-like qualities are respected.
The biggest problem is that he performed so well.
Last year, he almost won the Open, and this year he did the same thing at the Masters: The knowledge he can compete in the profession will make him do it again next year as he will take over the Senior St. Jude Championship in August.
European policymakers hope he is committed to 2027, especially because he can do well in 2029 if they repeat the double header plan.
In fact, if they want to stick with the captain twice and hope Rose will play the role at some stage in the future, the next two games are his best choice: he may be too old in 2031/2033.
He also has maturity and status in the game and can be matched with the woods.
He is not the vice captain, but his rich experience with the game somewhat eases the gap in resume.
This is a big decision everyone makes. If Ross gets the show, no one will hope he will perform well and become ambivalent next year.
Francesco Molinari
With the role of vice captain in Rome in 2023 and then again in New York in New York, Italians will learn everything about Europeans developing their victory strategies.
In this sense, he is a powerful candidate.
Unlike Ross, he has reached a flat point in his career, as Donald did before he came to power, where there was no conflict.
However, there may be two problems.
First of all, he may be a natural second-hand command, not a leader.
The second is that he is likely to face Woods, and it is impossible to avoid the fact that everyone knows Woods won the final major when he beat Molinari in the final round of the 2019 Masters.
That is, Molinari took the woods out of the back nine of the nine Opens the previous year to lift the fuchsia jug.
Edoardo Molinari
If it weren’t for a Molinari, why not his brother?
Edoardo used to be a more promising golfer, but with the end of their careers, Francesco has a better resume.
Edoardo has been the statistical guide for Europe’s success in its last two games.
Like his brother, Edoardo is more suited to be a behind-the-scenes mastermind rather than taking on other responsibilities.
Graeme McDowell
If Liv never happened, Graeme McDowell would be the top candidate from Ireland.
But it does, unless miracle, he, Lee Westwood, Ian Porter, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia burned the bridge.
Luke Donald
Two years later? This is the cry of the Roman fans and the players joined.
Within a few months, the committee members agreed that it was the right idea.
After Bethpage Black’s success, the concept was abandoned again, and he did not completely rule out this approach.
But he is a smart man. He would know that he did something sensational: Did he want to take the risk of defeating two victories in a failed way?
If he takes this role in Ireland, will he need to continue to play in the next game?
That turned into a huge question.
In an ideal world, the European Commission hopes Ross decides to leave a major contender next year to surpass him and devote his lot of energy to the captain of the Ryder Cup in 2029.
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