This candidate to be Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain has just ruled himself out of the running

The list of people to lead the home team at Adare Manor is suddenly one name shorter…

Who will succeed Luke Donald as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain? It’s the biggest question following last month’s 15-13 victory at Bethpage.

Whoever takes on the job has some huge boots to fill. Donald has, by a number of pundits and fans alike, been described as the best to have ever done the job. Amazing, really, when you think how close he was to never getting it.

And while the Englishman has been tipped for a third term at Adare Manor in two years’ time – no captain has ever won three in a row, remember – there are a number of people waiting in the wings for their turn to lead the blue and gold into battle.

Despite Ryder Cup Europe’s preference to stick to their new plan of having each captain on a four-year cycle, first at home and then away, Donald is currently favorite with the bookmakers. Justin Rose and Francesco Molinari are next, while Padraig Harrington is also being tipped to be given another go at it – though that is more likely influenced by the Irish connection.

A name that crops up every now and then, however, is one of the more influential members of Donald’s backroom team.

Edoardo Molinari has made quite the name for himself as Team Europe’s statistician and strategist extraordinaire.

But does he see himself in the top job?

“I don’t think I will ever be a Ryder Cup captain,” the elder Molinari sibling told Fried Egg Golf.

Molinari played in one Ryder Cup as one of Colin Montgomerie’s captain’s picks in 2010. The Italian halved two matches and lost one to return one point from three at Celtic Manor. And this is his main concern.

“To be honest, I don’t have the CV to do it,” he added.

But it’s not just his limited playing time in the competition that’s a concern.

“I don’t have the charisma to do it either,” he explained. “To be honest, I think there are much better candidates to be Ryder Cup captain in the future.”

Molinari’s role as part of Donald’s backroom team at both Marco Simone in 2023 and Bethpage this year, though, has been vital to the team’s performance – particularly when it came to working out foursomes pairings. Over those two tournaments, Europe won 13 of the 16 matches in the alternate shot format.

“I’m very happy with my role in the last two,” Molinari continued.

“If someone else is the captain, or if Luke Donald is captain again, and they want me along for the ride, I’ll do it as many times as they want me to do it.”

If it is to be Donald again in Ireland, or indeed Rose or Molinari’s brother, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Europe’s data guru is not part of the team.

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