'I'm never going to rule it out' - Luke Donald considering historic third stint as Ryder Cup captain

Four years after an American journalist predicted a decade of US dominance following their record-breaking win at Whistling Straits, Donald masterminded one of Europe's greatest away victories, guiding his side to a 15-13 success at Bethpage Black.

The win, achieved in the face of a hostile New York crowd, ended a long run of home dominance in the biennial contest and placed Donald alongside Tony Jacklin as the only European captains to claim back-to-back titles.

"He's the best European Ryder Cup captain ever," said US skipper Keegan Bradley. "He put his team in the best position to win, and to do that at these two places is a remarkable feat."

Donald's mission had been set as soon as Europe regained the trophy in Rome two years earlier, when his players chanted "two more years" and Rory McIlroy promised that victory in America would be "one of the biggest accomplishments in golf."

It was an ambitious challenge, given eight of the previous nine Ryder Cups had been won by the home side and Europe's last two visits to the US had ended in heavy defeat. But Donald embraced it - and delivered in emphatic style.

Attention now turns to 2027 and the centenary edition at Adare Manor, where Donald could make history by becoming the first European to captain three consecutive Ryder Cups and the first ever to win them all.

"I'm never going to rule it [2027 captaincy] out right now," Donald told Sky Sports. "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."