"It's a fun problem to have" - Luke Donald confesses Ryder Cup fever hasn’t worn off yet

The Ryder Cup got over more than two weeks ago, but Luke Donald is still having a hard time switching from the hangover. The victorious European captain recently admitted that he still wakes up at night with Ryder Cup dreams sometimes.

Donald is in New Delhi, India, for the DP World India Championship, which begins on Thursday, October 16. This is his first event since the historic defense of the Ryder Cup, where Europe posted a 15–13 win over the USA.

On Tuesday, October 14, during the pre-event press conference, the former World No. 1 was asked if he had switched his mindset from the Ryder Cup win to focus on other events.

"To be honest, I'm not sure if I have," he admitted. "It happened after Rome, and it's kind of the same with this one. The captaincy really does, the lead-up to the Ryder Cup, you're spending five or six weeks just thinking about all kinds of different things, partnerships, pairings, the golf course, the gifting. There's just so much that goes into it that your mind is kind of clogged." "I've had many nights where I've woken up with Ryder Cup dreams and things where I had forgotten my radio one night and there's still one game out on the course and I was panicking and I was trying to get to the game. Just things like that. It just takes a little bit of time for you to settle down," he continued.

Luke Donald was hopeful that playing the event this week would help him refocus.

"It will get my mind more back on what I need to do this week. It's a fun problem to have after a win in the Ryder Cup, but I'm excited to get back to playing," he added.

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When will Luke Donald tee off at the DP World India Championship, Round 1?

Luke Donald is paired alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry for the first two rounds of the DP World India Championship. The trio will tee off on Thursday, October 16, at 2:50 am ET from the first hole.

While Donald has enjoyed great success as a Ryder Cup captain, his individual performances in recent years have not been up to the mark. He has played seven events on the European Tour this season and missed the cut in all of them.

Besides, Luke Donald has failed to make the weekend in three PGA Tour events as well. It will be interesting to see if he finally breaks his missed-cut streak or if his tough run continues.

Edited by Shobhit Kukreti