By Jack Rathborn

Copyright independent

Justin Rose has revealed his priority is to continue playing for Team Europe at Ryder Cup despite speculation that he could succeed Luke Donald as captain at Adare Manor in 2027.

Rose, 45, played an integral role for Europe in his seventh appearance for the team at Bethpage Black in a gripping 15-13 win to resist a formidable Team USA comeback in the Sunday singles.

After going 2-1-0 in New York, to improve his career record to 16-10-3, including two impressive wins in fourballs alongside Tommy Fleetwood, Rose admits a leadership role could compromise his playing schedule, having enjoyed a resurgence in 2025, including a runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy at the Masters.

“The captaincy would compromise my playing schedule, that’s the decision I haven’t come to terms with. Or made,” Rose said after his fifth career win with Europe.

“I think there’s a lot of reflection on this. I’m not even sure when this decision needs to be made. There’s no clear path on this, it’s Luke’s decision, first and foremost, see what he wants to do, then go from there, it remains to be seen.

“Sentiment, from captains and vice-captains, is that if you can play, play. Nothing beats playing.

“Luke’s given a new dimension to the captaincy, I think, what it means to be a captain, how much effort is involved in it. So, he’s set a really high standard. You’ve got to be ready for that, as and when.

“But over the years, the boys have said you can’t beat playing days, they’re the times of your life. Protect that first and foremost, I’m still hungry, I’m still enjoying the game, pushing me to go to places I didn’t know I could.

“The environment I was in this week, it’s what it’s all about, even at 45, I’ve never experienced that before, so if you can keep having experiences that you’ve never had before, that’s worth everything.”

As part of Europe’s celebrations in New York, Rose and his teammates tasted vintage wine, with bottles of red from each of the years Europe won on away soil: 1987, 1995, 2004, 2012.

Rose also emphasised that merely playing or qualifying for a place on a European team would not be enough and that the ultimate goal is to continue contributing points.

“As long as I’m playing well enough, making Ryder Cups is not what the goal is, the goal is to play and win points and contribute to the team,” Rose added. “As long as I think I can do that, then yes, that’s very much the goal.

“The captaincy is not in two years time, it starts in two months, or something. That’s something I haven’t got my head around and what it means, today is not the day to even be thinking about it. There’s a lot of digesting to do this week, good and bad, how can the team get better in the future? A really positive week for everybody. There was a lot of build-up to this one, probably a four-year build-up to this one.

“There are no plans, it’s the day after, Luke has the opportunity to decide what he wants to do. That’s number one. The role gets serious, but when does it get serious? I don’t understand how it rolls out over a two year cycle.

“I think that I’m relishing my goal at the moment, I’m still hungry and enjoying it, it’s challenging me to put myself in environments I’ve never been before, while I still have that opportunity, still challenging myself as a player.

“A lot of captains have said, take your playing days for as long as you can. It’s not about being on a team, but it’s about playing well enough to be useful to that team. That’s my goal, I think, going forward. But it’s the day after, I’m hungover, I’ve not been giving it too much thought.”