At the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Luke Donald missed the cut, marking the start of a season defined by struggles with consistency, even if it was crowned by his historic leadership at the Ryder Cup. This year, his return to the event was meant to be a redemption of sorts. However, even before the first tee shot was struck, health issues emerged and the former World No. 1 was forced to withdraw from the $9 million tournament. Luke Donald’s manager, Brendan Taylor, has now opened up on the matter and shared the reason behind his withdrawal.

Donald’s manager told Golf Digest Middle East, “He felt a wrist niggle, which was the first issue. We got that scanned, and he was cleared to play the tournament but had to rest it yesterday after advice from the European Tour medical staff. That’s why he wasn’t able to play in the pro-am, although he did walk the final two holes with EGA, his pro-am partners.”

Donald travelled from Orlando with clear intent and thorough preparation, committed to competing at the Emirates Golf Club. However, the final 24 hours before the opening round proved difficult. It all began as a minor wrist concern, but soon became a string of physical issues that affected his ability to play.

Taylor further shared, “Luke obviously came over to play the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. He loves coming over to the region, loves Dubai, and he made the commitment to fly over from Orlando and play the event. But Luke being Luke, once he’s committed to the tournament, he’d done 10 days of solid practice at home to prepare because he never does anything without being fully prepared and giving it his all.”

Despite medical clearance and cautious management, Donald’s condition worsened. Flu-like symptoms showed up, which drained his energy. He was forced to limit his involvement early in the week. By Thursday morning, hopes of pushing through were dealt a final blow when sudden back muscle spasms struck during his warm-up.

Donald’s manager further reflected on the current scenario and stated, “Apparently a couple of players had this bad cold, sort of flu-like symptoms, and he started yesterday feeling that way. He woke up this morning feeling even worse, so it was another visit to the European Tour medical staff, who got him some medication, and he started feeling better. But when he was on the range this morning warming up, his back went into muscle spasms.”

Thus, it has been finalized that the English golfer will catch a return flight on Saturday morning. His manager further noted that, as of now, there is no concrete update regarding where Luke Donald will next tee it up.

2 years ago, in 2024, at the 35th Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Donald delivered one of the tournament’s most memorable moments with a hole-in-one. However, the 36th and 37th editions of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic have failed to yield results for the golfer.

Although his individual performance has not reached the same heights since 2025, his previous season was defined by his exceptional captaincy and a historic win at Bethpage Black. Under Donald’s able leadership, Team Europe defeated Team USA 15–13 win on American soil. Having led the team to triumph in two consecutive editions of the tournament, he is reportedly aiming to serve as captain for a third time.

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Luke Donald eager to get his third straight shot at Ryder Cup captaincy

Donald seems pretty excited to have a go at the Ryder Cup captaincy for the third time in a row. Currently in Dubai, the 48-year-old PGA Tour pro has reportedly been in talks with the senior officials of the European Tour Group. 

Donald stated, “I will sit down for a chat with Guy this week just to see where I am. I kinda know what the job entails but just to see what they are looking for. Just a chat. I have got a couple more months to decide. Usually, they announce it sometime in March. It is a little bit more work at home. You have more control and so it is more work. And I have to travel because I live in the US.”

Notably, Shane Lowry, an important Team Europe member, seems pretty confident in Donald’s ability to lead the side. 

“I think it’s Luke’s if he wants it. Does he want it or not? I’m not sure. It’s a big undertaking for him and he’s been very successful. Obviously, there’s a huge carrot dangling there to go three in a row and be the only person to do that. But that’s up to him. He’s here this week. I’m sure he’ll have conversations about it,” said Lowry. 

It remains to be seen if Donald will be given the opportunity to create history at the next Ryder Cup.