Luke Donald has refused to rule out a third stint as Ryder Cup captain, having already cemented his Ryder Cup legend status by guiding Team Europe to a historic victory in New York.
Four years on from one American journalist predicting a decade of dominance for Team USA, having just thrashed Team Europe by a record-breaking margin, Donald delivered by masterminding a famous title defence on away soil.
- in front of a hostile American crowd - ended a run of home dominance in the biennial contest and puts Donald alongside Tony Jacklin as the only European captains to win successive Ryder Cups.
"I think he's the best European Ryder Cup captain ever," said American counterpart Keegan Bradley, who suffered just their second home loss of the century despite a final-day comeback. "He put his team in the best position to win, and to do that at these two places is a remarkable feat."
The goal had been set the moment Europe regained the trophy in Rome two years ago, where Donald's players chanted "two more years" at him and McIlroy told the world's media they would complete 'one of the biggest accomplishments in golf' by winning on the road.
A big statement and ambitious task, given eight of the previous nine Ryder Cups produced home wins and Europe had lost the previous two trips to the United States by a combined 16 points, but a challenge Donald was ready to embrace. And boy, did he deliver.
The latest victory raises the possibility of Donald staying in the role for the centenary edition at Adare Manor in 2027, which would make him the first three-time captain since Bernard Gallacher and leave him bidding to become the first European captain to win three consecutive Ryder Cups.
"I'm never going to rule it [2027 captaincy] out right now," Donald told SportNews. "I need time to process. Like everything I do I go into detail about what the challenge is and what lies ahead.
"A lot of people thought I was crazy going a second time around. Why now? When everything went well in Rome, just walk away as a winner, but now I've obviously won home and away - that's pretty special."
Continuity was key for Donald, who retained 11 of his players and four of his vice-captains from the 2023 success, with the Englishman ensuring his settled side - on and off the course - were more prepared going into an away Ryder Cup than any team in history.
"There's probably a million decisions Luke has had to make to give us no decision," said Justin Rose, a possible contender to succeed Donald. "I'm blown away by the work ethic that he's given this captaincy cycle, both of them."
Extra communication, team dinners and a pre-Ryder Cup scouting mission to Bethpage Black - including time together in Manhattan before encouraging the players to stay in the same time zone - were just some of the ways Donald tightened the bonds within an already united dressing room.
"Those weeks we spend together are the ones we remember the most and the ones we cherish the most because of the time we get to spend with each other," Donald said. "A big part of my captaincy is to create an environment where these guys are having the best weeks of their lives."
Vice-captain Edoardo Molinari once again served as the data king for Europe, identifying fresh pairings to support past successful partnerships, while recognising past success on American soil was regularly addressed to players.
"Our time, our place." was the clear message delivered to Donald's side throughout the week via an inspirational video message from past away Ryder Cup players and captains, with uniforms for each practice day recognising the colours of shirts worn at those previous successes.
"There's so many things that Luke has done outstandingly professionally, so perfect, that it's hard to say one," Jon Rahm admitted. "He is the captain of this ship, and he's led us better than I can see anybody leading us. He set the bar extremely high for the future captains."
The attention to detail extended to the team hotel, where Donald had the bedding changed to enhance sleep, covered cracks that let light through bedrooms and even swapped shampoos to one with a better smell.
"It's just taking the time and having the care that you want to do everything you can to kind of give these guys the best opportunity," Donald said. "These are 12 amazing players, we know that, but you're just trying to put them in a position where they feel comfortable."
On the course, Team Europe made the dream start. They won each of their first four sessions to build a seven-point advantage and the largest lead heading into the singles in history.
"The fact that we've gone, over the last two Ryder Cups, 13 (wins) and three (losses) in foursomes is something that I'm very proud of personally," Donald admitted. "Foursomes is a tricky, tricky format. It really takes a lot of trust in your partner, so to do that was hugely gratifying for me."
A possible procession was on the cards when Europe briefly led in the top five matches of the Sunday singles, only for Bradley's side to win 5.5 of the first seven points on offer to produce a more thrilling climax than even the most optimistic American could have expected.
Shane Lowry eventually delivered the half-point required to guarantee they would retain the cup, running around the green in celebration after coming back from two down with five to play to tie with Russell Henley, before Tyrrell Hatton secured the half-point required for outright victory.
"It has been the most stressful 12 hours in my life," Donald said after victory was confirmed. "I didn't think they would be this tough on Sunday, they fought so hard, and all the respect to them."
Celebrations included sending a video message to President Donald Trump - who attended the opening day - from the team room, beers in the winner's press conference, chanting with the European fans and a singsong on the team bus back to a party at the team hotel, where the festivities continued long into the night.
"We'll always remember this," Donald stated. "We'll always go down in history.
"We talk about all the people that came before us that paved the way for us. Now future generations will talk about this team and what they did and how they were able to overcome one of the toughest environments in all of sport."
Europe last won three consecutive editions of the Ryder Cup in 2014, when Paul McGinley led them to victory at Gleneagles after Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal captained successively at Celtic Manor and Medinah respectively.
They will have the opportunity to repeat that feat in 2027, with Donald set to take time before deciding whether he wants to be considered for a third term.
"I haven't really thought about it to be honest," Donald said. "I kind of want to enjoy this moment, enjoy this one and then there's a few boys who live around me in Florida and might be celebrating this one for a while."
A third term for Donald? Potentially against a Tiger Woods-led United States? Don't bet against it...
The next Ryder Cup takes place at Adare Manor in Ireland from September 17-19, 2027 - the second time the event has been held in Ireland and the centenary staging of the biennial contest. or
