Darren Clarke says Luke Donald would be 'sensational' captain for 2025 Ryder Cup

Darren Clarke has added his voice to the chorus of calls for Luke Donald to stay on as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, saying he’d be a “sensational choice” for the 2025 match at Bethpage Black.

Winning captain Luke Donald talks to the media surrounded by his players following Europe's win in the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome last weekend. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

On the back of the Englishman masterminding a 16.5-11.5 win in Rome to regain the trophy, Donald’s players chanted “two more years” at the presentation ceremony at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.

Thomas Bjorn, Europe’s winning captain in France in 2018 and one of Donald’s vice-captains in Italy, also endorsed Donald for a second stint in the wake of that and now Clarke, the skipper at Hazeltine in 2016, has done likewise.

Not since Bernard Gallacher ended his three-match stint with a win in 1995 has Europe had a repeat captain, but it now remains to be seen if the likes of Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter will get that opportunity due to their LIV Golf allegiance, which led to all three missing out on the last edition in either a playing or vice-captaincy capacity.

“As we all know, with the current situation with the LIV guys who were meant to be captains coming up, whether that’s resolved and we move forward with some of those guys with unbelievable Ryder Cup history, whether they get the opportunity,” Clarke, speaking in his role as Team Europe’s captain for next month’s new World Champions Cup in Florida, told The Scotsman.

“But certainly Luke, from the outside, the way he captained this time, he’d be a sensational choice going forward to Bethpage Black. If the rumours are to be believed, it’s maybe going to be Tiger [Woods] for the US. Bethpage is going to be a rowdy place to say the least for the Europeans to step into.

It’s going to a cauldron, as I know from playing a major there, but it’s going to be another unbelievable Ryder Cup. If Luke is asked, it will be down to him but I think it would be good because he’ll do the same job again.”

Europe’s last win on US soil came at Medinah in 2012 and they suffered a record 19-9 hammering at Whistling Straits two years ago.

“In the aftermath of Whistling Straits, where America put on such a strong performance, if you’d asked me that question then, I would have said ‘no’,” said Clarke in reply to being asked if he had envisaged Europe winning in Italy. “But I think the way Luke rallied the guys and, in the last six months, the European shows showed a lot of form and really started playing a lot better.

“I know their stats improved massively, so Luke went in obviously with his team having a lot of confidence going into last week. With that being said, they obviously played brilliant golf. They holed the putts, they chipped in a lot. It always seems that the home team does that with the fans behind them.

“I watched every shot and, in the singles on Sunday, it did get a bit nervy for a while. There was a lot of red on that board and I know the end score wasn’t a reflection of what was going through my mind midway through the singles. It was wonderful to see but home course advantage is such a big thing these days. The crowd plays a huge part of it.”

Jim Furyk, who is Team USA’s captain for the event at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, on 7-10 December, was one of Zach Johnson’s vice-captains in Rome and refuted claims about the visitors having a split in their camp.

“Absolutely not the case,” said Furyk. “I’m not sure exactly where that came from. Especially after you saw the support Patrick [Cantlay] had with the guys raising their hats in front of the green and he took a lot of beating that day, whether it was from the media or the fans about not wearing the hat and the speculation that he maybe didn’t want to wear the American flag of whatever.

“He had phenomenal support from the players. I was in that team room each and every day and night and those 12 guys really bonded and got along well.They’ll be disappointed that we didn’t bring the cup back to the United States.

“But I can say this, and I will stand by it, those 12 guys really got on well and supported each other and, as vice captains, we couldn’t have asked for more.”