Luke Donald to return as European captain for 2025 Ryder Cup،
NASSAU, Bahamas — After guiding Team Europe to a decisive victory at the Ryder Cup near Rome in October, Luke Donald will return as captain at Bethpage Black in New York in 2025, the DP World Tour announced Wednesday.
Donald will be the first captain of the European team to start since Bernard Gallacher in three consecutive matches from 1991 to 1995.
“Great opportunities don’t come around very often in life and I believe when they do, you have to grab them with both hands. This is one of those times,” Donald said in a statement. “I’ve been fortunate as a player to experience many incredible moments in the Ryder Cup over the years and so add to that being a winning captain, bonding with the 12 players like us “We did it in Italy and got the result. What we did was really, really special.”
Donald, a former world number one golfer, guided the Europeans to a 16½-11½ victory at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. The Englishman replaced the Swede Henrik Stenson, who was stripped of his post as captain in July 2022 after joining LIV Golf.
When Donald was asked about his return as captain of the European team during a post-match press conference at Marco Simone, he replied: “I haven’t been asked that yet.”
European star Rory McIlroy quickly added: “I think everyone sitting here would be very happy to have him back.”
Team USA captain Zach Johnson is not expected to return to his role in 2025. There is speculation that 15-time major champion Tiger Woods is close to replacing him, but Woods has been noncommittal when asked about the possibility during the Hero World Challenge on Tuesday. .
Woods, who recently joined the PGA Tour board, said he is too busy to think about the next Ryder Cup, scheduled for Sept. 26-28, 2025. He is helping lead players’ efforts in the negotiation of a potential deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and DP World Tour, or other US-based private investors.
“Right now our tour has too much at stake to think about a Ryder Cup right now,” Woods said. “We need to get this done and we need to focus on this right now. The players and everyone involved understands that this is an issue we need to focus on.”
