It may be 53 weeks until Luke Donald may be 53 weeks away from returning to Ireland in pursuit of a third straight Ryder Cup victory, but ahead of the Amgen Irish Open the European Captain revealed that last week's Walker Cup has already got the match play juices flowing.
Donald has one of the most formidable team match play records in history, having never tasted defeat as a player across two Walker and four Ryder Cups.
And this time next year, he will be in the very final preparations as he leads Europe for a third time looking for a third win, having only ever been on a losing side as a vice captain in 2021.
Donald's tee shot to tap-in range on the 17th on Saturday evening at the 2012 Ryder Cup was one of the moments that helped set in motion the Miracle at Medinah, when Europe clawed back a 10-4 deficit to defeat the United States.
On Sunday, just a few miles up the road from this week's venue of Trump International Golf Links & Hotel, Ireland, Doonbeg at Lahinch, GB&I's Walker Cup team produced a comeback of their own.
Having lost the Sunday foursomes 4-0, they slipped 9½-6½ behind but won the first four singles matches and in the end the seven points from ten required to defeat the United States.
"It just shows how special those match play events are," said Donald. "They create a little bit of a different feel. The intricacies of match play and the momentum shifts and everything that goes along with it.
"I think obviously my personal experiences at Walker Cup were amazing. I had a great captain in Peter McEvoy. We were able to win both home and away. Enjoyed those teams, really did.
"I'm sure the lads had plenty of fun in Lahinch on Sunday night. Showed great belief to stick with it after a tough morning, and they kept the energy and the vibe up. You know, never gave up. Just kept battling to the end.
"I think once that shift of momentum started happening at the end, the crowd really got behind them, as well, and just fun to watch as a spectator and a fan of golf."
While Donald's place as a Ryder Cup great was long-since assured, a third consecutive win as captain would put him in an exclusive club of one.
"I would love to keep that intact," he said. "The match play in the Ryder Cup and Walker Cup have been kind to me.
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"Only once as a vice captain experienced a loss and didn't enjoy that one. Hopefully that winning feeling continues."
While some attention will be paid to next year's event at Adare Manor this week, with Donald, Vice Captains Francesco Molinari and Pádraig Harrington and 2025 players Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka and Rasmus Højgaard all in the field, that will not distract from one of the biggest events of the DP World Tour season.
And while Donald does not necessarily feel he can contend for an eighth DP World Tour victory and first in 14 years, he is eager to keep a competitive edge.
"I think all golfers are a little bit optimistic," he said. "It's very hard to change expectations sometimes. So even when I tee up this week, I feel like I have the opportunity to go out there and have a good finish. I don't think I have the opportunity to win. I've got to be realistic that my results certainly over the last couple of years haven't been that good.
"Obviously when I play, there's a few different reasons. One, I think it's good to be around the guys and see them and for that reason but also, I wanted to continue to stay a little bit sharp competitively because, you know, I do turn 50 in about 16 months. So I'd love to go into the Champions Tour, having played some events and have that sharpness of competition.
"I'm optimistic about certain parts of my game. There are a few parts of my game that need a little bit of work but I still love working at it. I love trying to figure it out. I love trying to not master this game, it's almost impossible to do that but to see improvements and enjoy those."
