Team Europe won the Ryder Cup 15-13 at Bethpage Black on Sunday, securing the first road victory since 2012. The Americans were heavily favored, but Europe stormed into New York and kept the Cup. Europe's Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald won his second title as a captain, along with his four as a player. He joined American legends in an elite group.
“Won 4+ Ryder Cups as player and 2+ as captain: Walter Hagen, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Luke Donald,” Justin Ray of the TwentyFirst Group posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Donald was named the captain late in the process for the 2023 Ryder Cup after Henrik Stenson left for LIV Golf. Europe dominated the Americans under his watch in Rome, and he earned a second stint. With a full cycle to get the team in order, he led the first road victory since 2012 at Medinah, where he was a player.
Team Europe has dominated the four-team sessions in the last two Ryder Cups, giving Donald's teams a piece of history. “In the 2 Ryder Cups Luke Donald has captained, Europe has a 22-10 point differential in the paired formats of foursomes and four-ball. It's the largest such differential over any 2-Cup span in the modern history of the event,” Ray posted.
The Ryder Cup captain usually is a one-and-done endeavor. But Donald's short run-up to Rome and the dominant victory earned him another run. After an international victory, they could go back to Donald for an unprecedented third stint. But with Edoardo Molinari running the stats and a group of veterans bought in, they have a bullpen of options.
If Donald wins as the captain in 2027, he would be the first to ever win three in a row. But Europe could find a new leader for Adare Manor in 2027, knowing their institution will lift any captain.
