Jon Rahm has made it very clear who he thinks the next European Ryder Cup captain should be if Luke Donald decides not to stay on.
Donald has proven to be a truly exceptional captain over the last two editions of the Ryder Cup.
And Rahm has played a key role for the Europeans under Donald’s leadership.
However, there may come a time when Donald decides to pass the job over to someone else.
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The entire European Ryder Cup team want Donald to captain the side in 2027 at Adare Manor in Ireland.
But if the Englishman decides that he is not ready to commit two years of his life to the role again, then who’s next in line?
Who Jon Rahm thinks should be the next European Ryder Cup captain
Europe have been totally dominant at the Ryder Cup in recent history.
They have won six of the last eight clashes with the United States.
However, will Donald be keen to make that seven from nine? That remains to be seen, but even if he decides against giving the captaincy another go, Europe are not short of potential successors.
The great thing for Europe is that they have numerous succession plans, should Donald decide to relinquish the captaincy.
When speaking on GOLF’s Subpar Podcast, Rahm highlighted the effort it would take for Donald to captain the European team for a third successive time.
“It’s up to him. It’s up to him and his wife, the commitment it takes for two years is just ridiculous,“ the Spaniard exclaimed.
Rahm was then asked who he would like to see captain the team if Donald decides to call it a day.
He said: “So now you run into some issues with where the ecosystem of golf is going to be, right? I don’t think it’s going to be in a place where LIV guys will be able to be captains that quickly.
“Just because the only one I would say, being in Ireland, Graeme McDowell would make sense.
“But when you’ve been a little removed from the deeper world on the Tour and the young players, because there’s an effort the captain needs to make to go and see all the prospects and have a relationship and communication.
“So it’s going to be hard.“
Jon Rahm makes Francesco Molinari claim
Francesco Molinari produced an incredible 5-0-0 record when playing at the Ryder Cup in 2018.
He was then a very successful vice-captain for Europe at the Ryder Cup in 2023 and 2025 and now he could get the big job in 2027, according to Rahm.
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The Spaniard said: “I think if there’s a chance, maybe for 2031 for Sergio, because you have enough time, if things get better, but, I don’t know.
“I think Justin Rose wants to play. He would be a great captain, but I think he wants to play.
“So, I would say Francesco Molinari looks good. I think he’s been a part of that, vice-captaincy with Luke. So he’s probably on.“
Molinari would be the perfect successor to Donald what with his cool and composed demeanour.
If Donald does decide to give up the captaincy, Molinari would be a very smart appointment by the European Ryder Cup committee.
