No way Donald will duck
LUKE DONALD insists no amount of money will tempt him to renege on the European Ryder Cup captaincy after being installed as Henrik Stenson’s successor yesterday.
The 45-year-old Englishman, who won all four of his Ryder Cups as a player, takes charge after Stenson’s defection to LIV Golf and uncertainty over the availability of the other rebel Europeans.
Stenson, who was lured with a £32.5m contract after edging out Donald to the initial appointment, took home £3.5m from his LIV Golf debut in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Sunday night after winning the tournament.
But Donald, who turned down an approach from the Saudi-backed breakaway league to join them as a commentator, has promised he will not be tempted if they come knocking again with a lucrative playing offer.
He said: “I have signed a contract and I intend to see that through.
“I’m giving you my word that I’ll be here for the next 14 months.
“The Ryder Cup means so much to me and I’m not going to take this lightly, so I’ll see you in Rome.”
The former world No.1, who will keep Thomas Bjorn and Eduardo Molinari as vice-captains, admits the circumstances are trying with so much bad blood around.
“The hardest part for me will be to get these 12 guys into the team room in a very motivated, unified way,” said Donald.
“There are obviously some distractions going on but we will deal with them in the best possible way.”
Donald also revealed his intention to pick the brains of Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman, adding: “I’m sure I’ll be reaching out to many people who have had a lot of success in that team environment, one being Sarina.
“I think you can see comparisons between something like the Lionesses and the Ryder Cup. I certainly remember a lot of my shots in Ryder Cups much more than I do in individual tournaments because we are playing for something bigger than ourselves.”