Double victorious European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald will meet with the DP World Tour Chief this week to ‘chat’ about whether or he will accept the 2027 Adare Manor leading reins.
Donald will meet with Guy Kinnings during this week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic and while the captaincy role will be top of the dicussion list, Donald says he is still months away from confirming whether or not he will become the fourth GB & I/European born captain to lead a team for three straight Ryder Cup’s or more.
The last of the previous trio of European team captains was Bernhard Gallacher from 1991 to 1995 while Tony Jacklin was in charge four Ryder Cup’s running from 1983 to 1989 while Dai Rees led four GB & I teams for four years in successionf from 1955 to 1961.
DONALD TO MEET BUT SAYS @TheAdareManor DECISION STILL MONTHS AWAY ….
Captain @LukeDonald will ‘chat’ @DPWorldTour chiefs this week and no guessing top of the agenda
Donald says: “Just a chat. I have got a couple more months to decide”.
Read: https://t.co/957N7jAxdm
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) January 20, 2026
“I kinda know what the job entails but just to see what they are looking for,” said Donald speaking with colleague Neil McLeman from the Daily Mirror.
“Just a chat. I have got a couple more months to decide. Usually they announce it sometime in March. It is a little bit more work at home.
Shane Lowry, who secured the half point for Europe to retain the Ryder Cup by two points last September echoed what what most believe.
“I think it’s Luke’s if he wants it,” said Lowry.
“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 you know, obviously there’s a huge carrot dangling there to go three in a row and be the only person to do that, or he will be the only person ever to do that, yeah.
“I think, yeah, but that’s up to him. He’s here this week. I’m sure he’ll have conversations about it this week. Like is there a template there? Probably yes. But 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, and it’s also a big undertaking for his family because he will be travelling a lot more. He’ll be in Ireland a lot obviously getting ready for it. When you’re doing a home Ryder Cup, there’s a lot more planning with you and your wife and stuff. Yeah, I’d certainly love to see him as a captain.”
One could expect that the make-up of the 2027 European Team could be slightly different to the past two sides, especially with the likes of Justin Rose, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Lowry getting older thus leaving the younger brigade such as Ludwig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton, Bob MacIntyre and the Hojgaard brothers as the backbone to any 2027 European side.
Saying this, you could expect a potential new 2027 European Team captain could come from the likes of vice-captain Francesco Molinari or Rose.
