Ryder Cup 2025: Luke Donald discusses possibility of Europe facing a Tiger Woods-led USA
Tiger Woods is the favourite to captain Team USA at the 2025 Ryder Cup but has yet to be announced; Luke Donald to repeat his role for Team Europe at Bethpage Black after guiding Europe to victory in Rome
Last Updated: 30/11/23 10:19am
Luke Donald would relish the prospect of going head to head with Tiger Woods at a Ryder Cup once again after being named as captain for the 2025 contest in New York.
Donald guided Europe to victory in Rome earlier this year, with the Englishman now confirmed as the first repeat captain at the Ryder Cup since Bernard Gallacher performed the role in 1991, 1993 and 1995.
Team USA have yet to confirm their next captain but Woods is currently the favourite to succeed Zach Johnson at Bethpage Black, with Donald - part of the last European team to win on American soil at Medinah in 2012 - ready to face the 15-time major champion.
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"The desire to win, whoever the captain is, is strong," Donald said. "Yeah, obviously, Tiger's been mentioned as a possible candidate and we'll have to wait and see. If it's him great, if it's someone else, great.
"In the meantime, my role is to try and, again, start the preparations and try and figure out the best opportunity for us to be successful again come September in 2025 in New York. So that's really my focus.
"I've got to play a lot of times with Tiger in my career. I have great admiration for what he's done, what he's done in the game. You would think he was going to be a Ryder Cup captain at some point and if it's this time, great, if it's another time, great, but, again, it's not really my focus.
"Again, it's something a little bit out of my control, so I'm not really trying to think about it and once it happens, then we'll address it. But if it's Tiger or someone else, again, I'm looking forward to the challenge of being captain once more."
Too soon for Woods to be considered?
Woods was asked about the possibility of being Team USA's next Ryder Cup captain ahead of his latest comeback from injury at the Hero World Challenge, although was more focused on his role in a potential peace deal in golf's civil war.
The former world No 1 revealed his frustration at how the framework agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) was announced, with Woods - a player-director - wanting that resolved before thinking about a Ryder Cup.
"Right now there's too much at stake with our tour to think about a Ryder Cup right now," Woods said in his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the Hero World Challenge.
"We have to get this done and we have to be focused on this right now. The Ryder Cup can take a... the players and everyone involved understands that this is an issue we need to focus on."
Sky Sports will continue to be the home of the Ryder Cup, with all three days of the 2025 exclusively live. Watch Woods' comeback at the Hero World Challenge live on Thursday from 5.30pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more with NOW.
