Justin Rose knows it. In fact, everyone knows it. It’s an open secret. The elegant English golfer is the hot favourite to replace Luke Donald as the captain of Europe. In Ireland in 2027, he will be just 47 years old. His name is on the table, and it can even be said without fear of error that he is the best positioned. Therefore, this week, even though we haven’t yet reached Bethpage, although we are on the doorstep, he has been questioned again about the matter. His response has been interesting and revealing. He warns that it won’t be an easy decision on his part and points to a change in the captain-Ryder-Europe paradigm.
First, let’s go with his exact response. It’s long, but it’s worth it for everyone to draw their own conclusions. In fact, the length of his reflection is already the first indication that it’s something he doesn’t take lightly. “Luke has done a phenomenal job. It’s interesting that the captain is a peer (a contemporary of the players who make up the team). In my previous Ryders, I always looked at the captains as players I had played and lived with, but not so much as equals; however, Luke is. That’s why I pay more attention to the process, to what he has been doing, to how meticulous he has been and the time it consumes; and to the fantastic work he has done not only in the tournament week but with the continuous and consistent message and mentality he has created throughout the team. And, as far as I’m concerned, yes, of course, you ask yourself the question and start thinking about it. I don’t know if there is a perfect time to be Ryder captain. Because, either it’s a bit early and you sacrifice your own golf —unless you do it like Keegan—, or if you let it pass, it’s perhaps too late, you feel like you’re wandering and travelling more than you want at that stage. I don’t think there’s a perfect time. If they ask me, I’ll do my best to think it through and make the right decision. As of today, it’s exciting and, I don’t know if it’s wishful thinking, but yes, I think I can keep playing. When you’re in a Ryder, it doesn’t seem like the next one is that far away. You think you can still make it to another. There’s a lot to unravel. But the point is that Luke has done an incredible job and, as I’ve paid more attention, I realise how big the job is; so, if you say yes, you have to be prepared.”
What Rose’s reflection suggests is that he knows his time is coming. He still firmly desires to play the next Ryder in Ireland, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to miss the boat, that by letting that train pass, four years from now (he would be 49), his performance may have declined too much, and he would no longer be a peer, an equal to the players. Rose wants to be a captain in the style of Donald –and almost more like Keegan Bradley– and that means being competitive, playing the major circuits, coinciding in tournaments with the candidates to be part of the team. It’s the great dilemma the Englishman, the most logical successor to Donald, must face.
In this sense, a paradigm shift is also pointed out. It seems we can forget about captains of the old school, golfers who were in the final stretch of their careers, if not already completely exhausted. These are the most recent cases of Ian Woosnam in 2006, Nick Faldo in 2008, Montgomerie in 2010, Olazábal in 2012, McGinley in 2014, Darren Clarke in 2016, Thomas Bjorn in 2018 and a bit less Padraig Harrington in 2021 and Luke Donald in 2023. They were more or less competitive, but none of them were anywhere near their best level.
This trend is changing. Keegan Bradley is the first example, Justin Rose could be the second, and more could follow. The process is accelerating. Rory McIlroy himself mentioned less than a month ago that his name was put on the table for the Ryder in Ireland, although he ruled it out. We might see Rory in his prime at 40-41 years old as captain. Or Tommy Fleetwood. Or who knows if Jon Rahm in Camiral 2031. It’s the trend we are heading towards, and then it will be up to each individual’s personality to decide if they can handle everything and are capable of leading the captaincy and the battle to qualify for the team.
The great exception to this process of changing pace being carried out in the captains of both teams is called Tiger Woods. Because we already know that Tiger Woods is a world apart and breaks all the rules.
