JP McManus convinced Luke Donald that Adare will be special

Team United States captain Jim Furyk, left, and Team Europe captain Luke Donald shake hands after the 2027 Ryder Cup Year To Go Celebration media conference at Adare Manor in Adare, Limerick. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

A memorable word with Adare Manor host JP McManus has convinced European captain Luke Donald that the return of the Ryder Cup to Irish soil in Limerick next September will be very special indeed.

Donald will be bidding to become the first captain from either Europe or the United States to win the Ryder Cup three times in succession when the 46th matches of this renowned team matchplay contest between the rivals marks its centenary at Adare Manor from September 17-19, 2027.

After victories at Marco Simone near Rome in 2023 and a successful title defence against the odds at New York’s Bethpage in 2025, Donald’s visits to McManus’s luxury hotel resort have whetted his appetite for the third leg of his captaincy.

Speaking at the end of three days of festivities to mark the Year To Go celebrations, Donald said: “It's hard to speak highly enough about this place. I was with JP a couple weeks ago and he said something that kind of landed with me. He said, ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’.

“And you know, when you walk in the doors here at Adare, you meet the people, the staff, that make this place so special. Every time you come back, they remember your name. Every time you come back, they give you a feeling of being very welcomed.

“That is certainly the feeling I get when I come here. It's a very blessed, very special place to come. I think it will be a very special venue for the Ryder Cup.” 

Both Donald and US captain Jim Furyk were players 20 years ago when Europe took the K Club by storm, trouncing the Americans 18.5 to 9.5 on a stormy weekend of high emotion as both teams and supporters rallied around Irishman Darren Clarke following the loss of his wife Heather to cancer just six weeks earlier.

“My memory is the fans,” Furyk said on Tuesday at the captains’ media conference. “Obviously not the result. It was a blowout win by Europe.

“I remember the weather. I've been here a lot this year, probably 12 to 14 days. I've seen a lot of sunshine, a lot of 80 degrees, not a lot of breeze. I know we need to be ready for anything.

“And my memory, going back to The K Club, especially early in the week, the amount of wind, the amount of rain, the difficult conditions to practise in. But I would be remiss. We all have a dear friend, and Darren Clarke was going through an extremely… my memory of what week and what was so special is Darren was going through such an emotional time. His team-mates rallied around him. I think he's got a lot of great friends around the American team that rallied around him.

“But to see the heartwarming support that he got from the fans that week, it almost brings a tear to your eye and that's my special memory of that week because Darren, he's a good friend, and I think someone that's beloved around the world, not only here in Ireland.” 

Donald added: “Yeah, I obviously remember it as a great week for Team Europe. It was a very successful week. Every time I've been a part of any sporting event, especially on the golf course, in Ireland, it's always special. The crowd are so attuned to sport, to team sport. They love it. They are very passionate. I think it was a great atmosphere, great energy, a shared respect amongst both teams.

“You know, I see Adare hopefully being even better. I think what JP, Noreen, Sue Ann, all the McManuses have done here is incredible. This is a very much anticipated Ryder Cup for the environment that it's going to create, and I think it's going to create something very special.”