Tommy Fleetwood names two ‘obvious’ Ryder Cup captains

Luke Donald once described the competition as a “dry run” for players at the Ryder Cup.

But could the Team Cup also prove a suitable breeding ground for future European captains?

Then the Hero Cup, last year’s three-day showdown between Continental Europe and Great Britain and Ireland in Abu Dhabi served as an ideal precursor to the victory over the US at Marco Simone.

Francesco Molinari’s Continental side defeated Tommy Fleetwood’s GB&I 14.5-10.5 in the Middle East last year, with six of the 20 competitors going on to play in Rome.

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Molinari will retain his captaincy role for the next match in January 2025, with Justin Rose taking Fleetwood’s place as the GB&I skipper.

Fleetwood, who has already talked about his dreams of leading Europe one day in the long-term future, believes Molinari and Rose are more immediate captain material.

“Justin and Fran are obvious candidates for future Ryder Cup captains,” Fleetwood said.

“It [the Team Cup] was amazing for me. I wouldn’t consider myself at a stage in my career where I would be seen as ready to captain a team, but it was an unbelievable experience and a massive honour to captain the GB&I side. I feel like I did learn a lot, but I believe Justin will be far more prepared than I was and far more ready for it.”

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It feels a lifetime ago now, but is highly unlikely Donald would have been leading his blue-and-gold side to Bethpage next September without the schism that has engulfed the game.

Henrik Stenson’s resignation allowed the Englishman to step in at short notice for Rome, while it remains unclear whether LIV players like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter or Lee Westwood will ever get a chance to lead the continent.

Rose and Molinari are certainly the early favourites to succeed Donald at Adare Manor in 2027 – and Fleetwood believes a dress rehearsal in the Middle East can only help their chances.

“I do now think the ecosystem of Team Europe is to probably expect a captain of this team event to move on to being a captain in the Ryder Cup. It will be great moving forward, and hopefully, it can carry on.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.