Tommy Fleetwood backs Luke Donald to return as Team Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for 2027 contest at Adare Manor

In the latest Sky Sports Golf podcast, Tommy Fleetwood reflects on Europe’s historic Ryder Cup success, whether Luke Donald should return as captain and his hopes for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship; Fleetwood finished top scorer in Europe’s 15-13 victory in New York

 

 

Tommy Fleetwood has backed Luke Donald to take on another stint as Ryder Cup captain and believes Team Europe ‘would love’ to see him in the role again for the 2027 contest.

Donald became just the second European captain in history to claim back-to-back victories over the United States, leading them to a 16.5-11.5 win in Rome before completing a famous title defence at Bethpage Black in September.

“I think all of us, as players and as a team, would love Luke to stay on,” Fleetwood told the Sky Sports Golf podcast.

“He has been an unbelievable captain and an unbelievable leader.

“I would class Luke as a very close friend and to watch how he has grown as a leader over this period, all the way through his captaincy in Rome to now, to watch him grow into it has been amazing.

“I think we would love him all to stay on and continue. I feel like the story has got a little bit to go, so I would love him to do that, but it’s completely his choice.

“With the captain he has been, he has earned the right to decide what he wants to do. We will see. He has been amazing and we will wait to see what Luke Donald wants to do next.”

Fleetwood finished Europe’s top scorer during the 15-13 win in New York, where he won each of his first four matches to help take a historic lead into the final-day singles.

 

 

“I would say we’re all very proud to have gone there as a team, and as a family, and represented Team Europe the way that we did,” Fleetwood added. “For all of us, that will be some of the most memorable moments of our career – whatever happens in the future.

“I actually love the Christmas period because that’s when the programmes come out and the re-runs of the Ryder Cup come back, so I’ll look forward to watching them back!

“We were confident as a team, we were very well prepared. To have that Friday and Saturday was like dream stuff – you couldn’t have written it any better for us.

“The Saturday evening at the golf course was honestly one of the most special atmospheres I’ve ever seen. The team we had behind us, the planning that had gone into it and then for us to execute it in the way that we did was amazing.”

“He doesn’t have the major record of those two, obviously, but he will have. I think it’s inevitable he will do that and I think he’ll get a couple. He looks to me more comfortable, he’s got a huge CV of wins and it’s just that next phase.

 

 

“He seems to have a great team behind him, Butch Harmon and all the like, so I would back him to have a pretty nice little spell of golf the next decade if he stays fit.”