Scottie Scheffler Shares Honest Take on Europe's Ryder Cup Captain Decision: "Be Trying to Convince Him"

Mar 5, 2026, 12:30 PM CUT

September 28, 2025, Farmingdale, Ny, United States: FARMINGDALE, NY - SEPTEMBER 28: Scottie Scheffler of Team USA lines up a putt on hole 11 during the Ryder Cup - Singles Matches at Bethpage Black Golf Course on September 28, 2025 in Farmingdale, NY. Farmingdale United States - ZUMAt139 20250928_aaa_t139_097 Copyright: xAlxChang/IsixPhotosx

The 2026 edition of the Arnold Palmer Invitational is just a few hours away, and world number one Scottie Scheffler is dealing with some leadership questions.

Ahead of this year's tournament, Scheffler was asked his thoughts on Luke Donald re-signing as captain of the European Ryder Cup team during the pre-tournament press conference.

"Obviously he has had a lot of success and he is pretty good at it, so if I was the European team I would probably be trying to convince him to come back," Scheffler responded.

This is Donald's third time leading the European team, and he has done so after a period of "pretty good results," so the trophy has been held across the Atlantic for some time.

March 4, 2026, Orlando, Florida, USA: Scottie Scheffler speaks to the media after the Arnold Palmer Invitational Pro-Am presented by Mastercard at Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Orlando USA - ZUMAw109 20260304_fap_w109_032 Copyright: xDebbyxWongx

Scheffler acknowledged that he had not followed the news at first, but with Donald's history, he knows that Donald remains the preferred option to keep steering the European side in the coming contests.

While the American player lauded his opponent's leadership, he kept his eyes on the prize, saying he wanted to "change that" once the matches head to Ireland.

Scheffler Focuses on Validating Success at Bay Hill

Like Scottie Scheffler treats international competitions, he treats demanding golf courses like Bay Hill, where the thick rough and firm greens require every player to raise their level of execution.

The world number one remarked that he enjoys playing on these challenging setups, saying, "I always enjoy the harder tests that we see," referring to the relentless wind.

The mentality has reigned supreme at elite courses such as Muirfield Village and TPC Sawgrass, where he has often been considered to have an "extra gear" compared to the rest.

Since his debut, Scheffler has won two Arnold Palmer Invitational cups, one in 2022 and another in 2024. Not only that, across his 16 rounds at Bay Hill, he has averaged an impressive +2.801 strokes gained, making him one of the most dominant players at the venue.

Achieving this at these distinguished tournaments gives Scheffler the "validation" to silence the critics who say he has won THE PLAYERS and several major championships by chance, and to prove he has won by virtue of his processes.

Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Kalp Thaker