Luke Donald admits he doesn’t know if he’s ever recovered from his high at the Ryder Cup.
Donald will be making his first start since leading Team Europe to victory at Bethpage Black in New York three weeks ago. He is competing in the DP World India Championship along with Rory McIlroy, Shane Lawley and many other big names from Asia. But his mind is still processing the victory and everything that went into it.
“It happened after Rome, and it’s similar this time,” Donald said. “Captainship is really important. You spend five or six weeks just thinking about all sorts of different things leading up to the Ryder Cup: partnerships, pairings, golf courses, gifts. There’s so much going on that your head gets stuck. I’ve had many nights where I wake up dreaming of the Ryder Cup, or I forget the radio one night and panic when there’s one game left on the course and I’m about to get into the game. That’s all there is to it. It just takes a while to calm down.
“I think actually coming out here and playing in the tournament will actually help. It’ll put my mind back on what we have to do this week more. It’s a fun problem to face after winning the Ryder Cup, but I’m looking forward to getting back to playing.”
Donald, now 47, hasn’t played as much golf this year as he was preparing to lead Europe. The former world No. 1 has only played twice in the past four months, his last start as MC coming at the BMW PGA Championship. He still believes he can put together four good rounds and win the tournament, but admits his expectations have changed over the years.
But the conversation around Donald has changed in recent years. When it comes to the Ryder Cup, he is considered one of the best captains in the history of the tournament. Opposing captain Keegan Bradley called him the best captain in Euro history.
After their overwhelming performance in Rome, the players of the European team shouted, “Two more years!” at the post-tournament press conference. The players did the same thing in New York. Donald could only bow his head and smile.
Is he going to come back for a third time?
“I’m going to continue to enjoy this work,” Donald said. “Whether it’s the captain or if I’m not the captain. If in two years I’m not the captain and the captain wants me to be there, I’ll be happy to help him in any way he wants.”
“Yeah, it’s a very humbling feeling for someone to say you’re the best captain. It might be a bit of a reaction at the moment, but certainly, I gave a lot to it. I’m very happy with the results that came with it, but we need those 12 players. We need that backroom team. We need a vice-captain. We need so many other players to make that happen. Yes, I play a role, but it’s a small role in terms of the bigger picture. I definitely couldn’t do it without our great support. myself. “
Donald joins Tony Jacklin as the only Euro captains to win the Ryder Cup twice. Jaclyn was captain four times at the Euros, going 2-1-1.
But will Donald return in 2027? It’s hard to imagine him not being part of the European team, whether it’s for the third time as captain or vice-captain.
