Luke Donald breaks silence on Ryder Cup return vs Tiger Woods after Rory McIlroy support

Luke Donald has been backed by European star Rory McIlroy to return as Ryder Cup captain in 2025, which could well see him face Tiger Woods at

Bethpage Black Luke Donald discussed the chance returns as captain of the European Ryder Cup in 2025, after the Englishman led his team to a 16.
5-11.
5 win over the Americans earlier this month.

Donald’s European team reclaimed the Ryder Cup two years after losing to their American counterparts thanks to a dominant performance at the Marco Simone in Rome.

Attention has turned to the 2025 event in the weeks since, with Europe given the difficult task of defending its title on American soil.

Typically the Ryder Cup captaincy changes every two years over the past three decades, but Donald is backed to make history and lead his continent once again at Bethpage Black.

Discussing the possibility of back-to-back captaincy, Donald told the Times: “When you’re part of something so memorable, you don’t want it to end.

The return was strongly supported by the players, after European stars chanted “two more years!
when the British gave their victory speech in Rome.

Grateful for the support, he added: “It was certainly nice to hear the players shouting ‘two more years’ later and it will be an unbelievable challenge, but I still have to sit back with my family and decide because it’s a big question.

If Donald was to return he could well face off against arguably golf’s greatest player, with 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods well-backed to lead the American team in 2025. One man who knows both Woods and Donald well is Rory McIlroy, and the Northern Irishman was the man leading the chant for his captain to return in two years.

McIlroy himself proved to be a star man for Donald, winning four out of five points – more than any other player – across the three days at Marco Simone on the way to the European victory. Whether Donald does return or not, one man who will no doubt be on the plane to New York (barring injury) is four-time major champion McIlroy.

And the Northern Irishman had a strong warning for his American rivals on the back of Team Europe’s crowning earlier this month. As confident as ever, McIlroy claimed: “I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup. And that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.”