Ryder Cup vice-captain Francesco Molinari exclusively backs Luke Donald and his future Team Europe captaincy hopes | golf news

Francesco Molinari admits it was an easy decision to be part of Luke Donald’s backroom team again at the 2027 Ryder Cup and insists he would love to captain Team Europe in the future.

Molinari was announced as Donald’s second vice-captain For the centenary edition next September, Live on Sky Sportswhere Team Europe will aim for a historic third consecutive victory against the United States.

Former Open Champion will be Donald’s backroom team is joined at Adare Manor by older brother Edoardo MolinariMarco Simone was co-captain for both the 2023 win and Bethpage Black for the 2025 win.

“Very easy (to make the decision) — it was a pretty short phone call, as you can imagine,” Molinari said Sky Sports Golf Podcast. “I’m honored and excited to be a part of it again.

“During the process I have experienced Luc as a captain over the last four years and he is amazing at what he does. Eduardo is not too bad at what he does, so I am very happy to join.

“Luke is a great captain, he tries to get everyone involved and listen to everyone before he makes his decisions, so we all try to bring something a little different so we don’t miss any details. We cover every possible cent that can help the guys perform on the course.”

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Donald was hailed as Europe’s greatest-ever captain after masterminding their away win in New York last September, where they took a record-breaking advantage in singles before a 15-13 win, with Molinari impressing as the English captain.

“I think we’ve always gotten along pretty well, but he’s never been the most versatile team-mate,” Molinari added. “One thing that has impressed me is how he has developed in that (leadership) sense and how good he is now in communicating with us, with the players, with the media.

“He’s really developed a lot in that sense – the dedication he brings to the job is what he had as a player and that’s what got him to world number one. There’s a lot to admire and he’s a great leader to follow.

“I can see some people may have some question marks about his personality as a leader, but he has stepped up since he took over for Roma and I think he likes it.

“All the players like the way he approaches the job and it’s a great combination – that’s why he’s doing it for the third time in a row. We’re all happy to have him leading us again.”

Donald, who could become the first captain to win three Ryder Cups in a row, was initially reluctant to commit to a third term in the role, while the former world No. 1 has shown reluctance to pull out of the 2027 edition ahead of the 2027 edition.

Molinari would be a strong contender to succeed Donald as the next European captain, potentially for the away fixture at Hazeltine National in 2029, a role the Italian would enjoy if selected.

“Yeah, obviously, if you’re asked, it’s not something you’d deny — it would never enter my mind,” Molinari said. “I know there are a lot of strong, legitimate candidates and a lot of moving parts. We don’t know what the situation is going to be in two or three years.

“I mean I want to do it. I think it’s out of my hands, but I’m here. They know where I am if they need somebody and I’d be more than happy to do it.”

Listen to the full Francesco Molinari interview in the latest edition of the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, hosted by Jamie Weir, which also includes interviews with former major champion Ian Baker-Finch and players progressing through final qualification for The Open. Get Sky Sports or Flow without any contract.