Luke Donald to return as Europe's Ryder Cup captain for 2027 - ESPN

VIRGINIA WATER, England — European players chanted «Two more years!» when they won the Ryder Cup in New York, and Luke Donald listened. He was named captain on Wednesday for the 2027 matches in Ireland, making him the first captain in 30 years to lead in three straight Ryder Cups.

At stake for Donald is a chance to become the first Ryder Cup captain with three straight victories.

«The last two Ryder Cups have meant a lot to me and my family,» Donald said. «I didn't imagine this third time would come. Celebrating on that Sunday night in New York after a pressure-packed week in a tough environment, I thought maybe my job was done.

»But maybe there is a little more story to tell."

Donald, a former world No. 1 from England, was never meant to be captain in the first place. He seemingly lost out when Europe chose Henrik Stenson to be captain for the 2023 matches outside Rome. But then Stenson gave up the job when he joined Saudi-backed LIV Golf, and Donald stepped in and hasn't missed a beat.

Donald led Europe to a resounding victory in 2023, and then last September at Bethpage Black led his team to a seven-point lead going into Sunday singles. It held on to win while coping with a hostile New York crowd.

That prompted U.S. captain Keegan Bradley to say, «I think he's the best European Ryder Cup captain of all time, Luke Donald.»

The 2027 matches — the 100th anniversary of the Ryder Cup — will be at Adare Manor in Ireland. Europe has not lost on home soil since 1993.

Now it's up to the Americans to decide who will go up against Donald. Tiger Woods again is the top choice to lead Team USA. Woods turned down the job last time, leading to Bradley being appointed just 14 months before the matches.

Woods has said he hasn't decided