Washington (AFP) – Masters champion Rory McIlroy said Wednesday he rejected the suggestion he could serve as playing captain at a Ryder Cup “sometime soon,” stating that he believes combining roles is too onerous.
“I’ve been asked to do that, and I’ve turned it down,” the Northern Ireland star said as he spoke to reporters prior to the US PGA Tour BMW Championship in Maryland. McIlroy will spearhead the European challenge against the United States when the match play showdown is held at Bethpage Black in New York from September 26-28. Luke Donald will captain the Europeans, and the US captain is Keegan Bradley, whose strong form in 2025 has the 39-year-old in 10th place in the qualification standings.
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After winning the Travelers Championship, Bradley acknowledged he would consider casting himself as the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. However, McIlroy asserts that the demands on the captain are too great to mesh with a playing role. “The idea of me being a playing captain sometime soon has come up, and I’ve shot it down straight away,” McIlroy said. “Because I don’t think you can do it.”
He elaborated further: “I just think the commitments that a captain has — you think about the extra media that a captain has to do, you think about the extra meetings that the captains have to do with the vice captains, with the PGA of America, in Keegan’s case, preparing your speech for the opening ceremony. Just there’s a lot of things that people don’t see that the captain does the week of the Ryder Cup, especially now that the Ryder Cup has become so big.”
McIlroy added that the captain would also have less flexibility to play every session over the three days, which could rob a team of an in-form player for some sessions. “Would you rather not have a player that has the flexibility to go twice if he’s playing well?” McIlroy questioned. “It’s just my opinion, but I think it would just be very difficult to do.”
Despite his stance, McIlroy expressed curiosity about whether Bradley will take on the dual role. “I definitely think he’s one of the best 12 American players right now,” McIlroy said. “That’s why everyone is so interested and it’s such a compelling case. I’m just as interested as everyone else to see how it all plays out.”
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