Shane Lowry celebrates with Jon Rahm during the 2025 Ryder Cup. Photo by Michael Reaves/PGA of America

Luke Donald hasn’t spoken toJon Rahm about his Ryder Cup future but hopes the big Baque will be available when he captains Europe for the third time at Adare Manor in 2026.

The LIV Golf star has refused to join eight fellow LIV Golf members and sign a deal offering them conditional releases in exchange for playing six DP World Tour events.

As a result, the former Masters and US Open champion remains in danger of being forced to forfeit his DP World Tour membership and the chance to play in Co Limerick next year.

But Donald is still hopeful that the Rahm problem can be solved before event next year.

“Well, first day on the job,” Donald said in a teleconference about his appointment for the third match in a row. “So I haven't talked to him yet, but obviously I will talk to Jon.

“He has a great relationship with the team, and he's been a tremendous teammate and player for me in the last two Ryder Cups.

“It's great to see the clarity, you know, amongst the other players that have signed the conditional releases, and understand that they're available.

“We haven't talked to Jon. So I don’t really want to comment on that yet. He has his own reasons, but I look forward to catching up with him and really hope that he's available.”

He added, “With 16-17 months, there’s plenty of time. Every time I've been a captain, there's always challenges to overcome and things, it's never a smooth road.

“There are always bumps in the road. But obviously, my plan is, my hope is, that Jon is available for that team.

“As I said, he's been a tremendous teammate, a tremendous player, and he's given us so much. But yeah, again, we'll have to have that conversation soon and see where his head is.”

Donald denied that question marks over Rahm’s Ryder Cup future were behind the delay in his decision to take on the captaincy for the third time in a row.

“That wasn't a factor in my decision,” he said. “My decision was having the backing of the players, having the backing of my family, and the opportunity, I think, the amazing focus, amazing purpose for me, and given me something to really get my teeth around. And I've really enjoyed the experience of being captain.”

Rahm is currently appealing against the fines imposed by the DP World Tour, and CEO Guy Kinnings said the way forward is clear.

“Our job is very straightforward,” he said. “My job is very straightforward. We are just administering the rules that we have in place, and we announced, I think it was 11, 12 days ago, the approach we were taking on conditional releases, which is a precedent we've set, and a number of the guys signed up and Jon didn't.

Luke Donald celebrates with Shane Lowry after the 2025 Ryder Cup in New York. Photo by Michael Reaves/PGA of America

“That was his decision. As you can imagine, all we are looking to do is do what's best for the Tour as a whole, for the membership as a whole, and the arrangements we have struck will support the Tour. It will help improve the product, and that will lead to happier promotors, sponsors, broadcasters.

“It's our job to deal with those rules that are in place and have been tested and proven to be fair, and that's what we're doing.”

On Rahm’s options, Kinnings said: “I think it's pretty straightforward. Either he withdraws an appeal and settles fines, or he goes to the appeal process and that process is underway, and then we'll obviously to go with whatever the decision is made in that appeal hearing.”

As for who might take the US captaincy after Tiger Woods recently said that he might find it difficult to combine the role with his commitments to the Future Competitions Committee at the PGA TOUR, Donald refused to speculate.

“It’s a little bit hard to comment on something that hasn't happened yet,” he said. “Tiger's name was obviously floated two years ago, and Keegan (Bradley) ended up being it. So again, it's hard to make those guesses.

“Whoever the captain is, it doesn't really change my role. My role is to formulate a plan to give our team the best opportunity. And what the US are doing is kind of inconsequential to that. So I look forward to whoever it is.”

A clash with Woods would add to the occasion, but Donald does not believe it would make his job more difficult.

“I don't think the challenge changes,” he said. “What each Captain brings is not very related to each other. The US will have their way of doing it, and we have our way of doing it. Those things don't really cross.

“Obviously, Tiger, he moves the needle in the game. I got to play many, many times with Tiger. And he’s one of the greatest, if not the greatest, player to ever play our game.

“What he accomplished, and he brings, he moves the needle, but you know again, time will tell if he's the captain or if it's someone else.”

Donald admitted that Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry were pressuring him to take the job again in the days after the win at Bethpage.

“They were in my ear the week after New York,” Donald said with a grin. “Obviously, I live very close to them and in the same community in Florida, and we were having a few glasses of wine, celebrating, and they were already in my ear, and I was trying to bat them away and trying to enjoy the moment.

“But, yeah, they were very supportive. And, obviously, that means a great deal to me, as well as many of the other teammates that I had in New York and in Rome.”

Donald has fond memories of his six Irish Open appearances and that record 18-9 Ryder Cup win at The K Club in 2006.

But he does not expect any repeat of the crowd abuse that the Europeans were subjected to in New York.

“I’m fully expecting it to be very respectful, you know, passionate fans getting behind Team Europe,| he said. “I've spent a lot of time playing Irish Opens, obviously at the K Club in the Ryder Cup in 2006.

Just electric atmospheres where it’s a really feel-good crowd. They love their golf. They love the hospitality; they’re very hospitable in terms of welcoming people. And I expect the matches to be played in a very respectful and classy way, and that will certainly be my message to them.”

The Golf Course at Adare Manor has undergone a change of turf over the past few months and Donald believes that while it’s a US-style course, it can be set up to give Europe an advantage.

It's a beautifully manicured golf course and yes it's a little bit more of an American style than you would think of a typical Irish course,” he said.

“But potentially you could, put The K club in that bracket too and we did fine there. In the coming few weeks and months, I'll certainly be going to Adare and having a look at the golf course. I

“I know they've done a few changes since the summer, added in some different grasses for the potential to grow rough.

“So again, we'll have to see where that takes us. What we think is the best setup to give us a slight edge, which is hard to do with golf course setup, but we'll try anyway.”