The build-up to the 2025 Ryder Cup has been a far cry from what Luke Donald experienced before the last one in Rome.
He wasn’t even Europe’s captain when the previous cycle began, and now he’s preparing for an away match, with all eyes set on Bethpage Black in late September.
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Donald looks set to head to New York with 11 players who featured in that win. The only newcomer, Rasmus Hojgaard, was already familiar with the squad after supporting his brother in Italy.
But winning on foreign soil remains one of golf’s toughest tasks. Donald couldn’t have done much more than he did in Rome, but now he faces a new test across the Atlantic.
Justin Rose open to 2027 Ryder Cup captaincy
Regardless of how things go in New York, it seems likely that Donald will step aside after this cycle. Naturally, attention has already started to shift towards who might take over from him.
That pool of options has narrowed in recent years, especially with several potential candidates moving to LIV Golf. That move left the futures of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson up in the air.
Rose has been enjoying a strong run on the PGA Tour lately. He pushed Rory McIlroy all the way to a playoff at The Masters and picked up a win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship earlier in the year.
By 2027, when the Ryder Cup heads to Adare Manor, Rose will be 47. Some are already wondering if this year could mark his final appearance as a player for Europe.
But Rose isn’t closing any doors just yet. Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, he addressed whether he might follow Donald as captain one day.
“It’s an interesting one. If we were to go back a couple of years and think about what’s the pipeline of European Ryder Cup captains, I felt like that was a potential thought process for sure – and it could well still be a potential thought process,” said Rose.
“2027 still feels like a long time away. But I think all of us probably need to have a sit down afterwards and just understand what’s best for the team because that’s most important.”
The next captaincy decision is still some way off but given his experience and form, it wouldn’t be surprising if Justin Rose became heavily involved in European golf beyond his playing days.
Europe has two leading options for the 2027 Ryder Cup
With so many of the potential candidates for captaincy now tied to LIV Golf, there are really just two obvious choices left for 2027.
Rose is certain to get the job at some point. And Francesco Molinari is another name in the mix, having served as a vice-captain under Donald and recently led Italy at the Team Cup.
If Europe manages another win under Donald, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them stick with what’s working, which would only strengthen the case for either Rose or Molinari.
But Rose isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. He’s still playing high-level golf and has naturally stepped into a leadership role over the past couple of years.
He picked up a PGA Tour win in 2025 and finished runner-up in two of his last five majors. He’s still clearly one of the best out there.
If he were showing signs of decline, this would be a much simpler decision for Team Europe. But that’s not what we’re seeing from him right now.
No one should be shocked if Rose ends up competing for a spot on that team once again.
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