Why Justin Rose doesn’t want to be Europe’s Ryder Cup captain in 2025
Ryder Cup captaincy candidate Justin Rose has ruled himself out of contention for 2025 and backed Luke Donald to lead Europe for a second time.
Donald was hailed by his players after they recovered the Ryder Cup from the USA with a 16.5-11.5 victory at Marco Simone Club in Rome last month.
Rose is among those likely to be in contention for the role, but he insists he hopes to play in the next edition at Bethpage Black, New York, when he will be 45.
“We all recognise how difficult it is to win away nowadays and whichever captain does it can claim the ultimate Ryder Cup success,” he told the Telegraph.
“But if it happens in 2025, I want to contribute as a player. If Luke wants it, he should get it. 2025 is too early for me.
“The captaincy starts next year and I feel like I’ve got some good things ahead of me as a player. It’s not so much that I feel I ‘need’ to play at Bethpage, it’s more than I ‘need’ to believe I can play. That’s important.”
Rose turned professional 25 years ago but remains competitive at the highest level, having won on the PGA Tour this year and last and recorded a top-10 finish at the US PGA Championship.
At the last Ryder Cup he took 1.5 points from three matches, including holing a clutch putt to ensure the USA went winless on the first day.
“I acknowledge there is probably no perfect juncture at which to do it, and that if I was asked I might have to make the big commitment, even if it would affect my playing ambitions, because it’s a huge honour,” he added.
“But I think there is a time when it’s your sweet spot to be captain. You have to be current, can’t have stopped playing, because that link has to be there. So it’s a fine line. In my view Luke is probably coming to that sweet spot right now.”