Justin Rose cements place as next Ryder Cup captain with crucial masterstroke

If there were any doubts that Justin Rose will be Luke Donald’s successor as Europe Ryder Cup captain, then surely these have been quashed by Great Britain & Ireland’s overwhelming victory in the Team Cup here on Sunday.

Rose’s men crushed Francesco Molinari’s Continental Europeans 17-8 in an encounter that was over when there were still eight of the 10 singles matches left out on the course. This week was effectively a dress rehearsal for the Ryder Cup and it is fair to say that Rose passed his own audition with flying colours.

Donald, who was here at Abu Dhabi Golf Club overseeing proceedings, plainly believes it is inevitable that his fellow Englishman will be handed the role after the biennial showdown in New York in September. Unless something very strange occurs, then Rose will be the home skipper at Adare Manor in County Limerick in 2027.

“We know how meticulous Justin’s been in his career about preparing and doing the right things and getting the most out of everything and I think he took this job very seriously,” Donald said. “He understands that it will soon be his time to be Ryder Cup captain. He was spot on this week and I kind of left him to do it himself. Obviously, he’ll be very happy with this result. He got the best of his guys and that is the role.”

Certainly Tommy Fleetwood felt inspired, taking four points out of four and emulating his heroics at the last Ryder Cup by securing the winning point.

Having grasped an 11-4 lead on Saturday evening, GB&I required only two points from the 10 singles and after Laurie Canter trounced Romain Langasque 5&4 in the fourth match out, fellow Englishman Fleetwood, in the top match, completed the job with a 3&1 success over Matthieu Pavon.

The poor Frenchman was four under after six holes and still found himself two down. Fleetwood captained GB&I to defeat in this event two years ago, but he deferred to Rose on this occasion. “He has far more experience than me and has some unbelievable insights,” Fleetwood said. “He is at the point where he is a leader and I’m not yet.

“Justin has been amazing, for me on an individual level. He’s been a phenomenal captain. Hearing how he views certain situations, how he sees the week panning out… well, you’re constantly learning off him. All the lads absolutely loved playing for him. He was an unbelievable captain and I’m glad that we got the win for him this time.”

For his part, Rose was characteristically modest. “I have loved the challenge and the experience,” he said. “And the lads have made me look incredibly good at it.”

In truth, his masterstroke probably came at the start of the week, when word came out that 22-year-old Tom McKibbin is set to join LIV Golf. The emergence of the story was bad timing for Rose, particularly as Jordan Smith was also in the GB&I team room and McKibbin had pipped the Bath man to a PGA Tour card via the DP World Tour money list fewer than two months ago.

Had McKibbin – the Northern Irishman who grew up at the same County Down golf club as Rory McIlroy – announced his decision to jump ship a week ago then Smith could have taken the playing privileges on the US circuit and the $500,000 minimum payment that goes with them. But the deadline has now passed and, for Smith, so too has the opportunity.

This sort of scenario clearly has the potential to affect camaraderie, but Rose handled the situation impeccably, ensuring that McKibbin was kept on side and that Smith – who, himself, showed remarkable maturity – was able to retain his focus on the task in hand.

McKibbin lost his singles – on the last to Matteo Manassero – but still collected three out of four points and has the look of a Ryder Cup player about him. However, with his $5 million move to be confirmed, he will probably have to rely on a wildcard from Donald for this year and as a rookie this amounts to a huge long shot.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.