Mcilroy 'shot Down' Role Of Ryder Cup Playing Captain

Rory McIlroy said he rejected nan thought of being a playing skipper astatine a early Ryder Cup "straight away" arsenic he believes it "would beryllium very difficult to do".

The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland will again spearhead nan European situation astatine this year's arena which will beryllium staged astatine Bethpage Black successful New York connected 26-28 September.

World number 12 Keegan Bradley was picked to captain nan United States successful July 2024 aft 15-time awesome champion Tiger Woods turned down nan role.

But aft a beardown tally of shape successful 2025 including 9 top-20 finishes, nan 2011 US PGA champion is 10th successful nan American rankings for a squad that will beryllium made up of six automatic qualifiers and six wildcards.

McIlroy does not judge it is imaginable to harvester nan roles of subordinate and captain, and speaking earlier nan commencement of nan BMW Championship successful Maryland connected Thursday, nan Masters champion revealed he had turned down nan chance to do truthful "sometime soon".

The 2027 Ryder Cup will beryllium held astatine Adare Manor successful nan Republic of Ireland.

"I've been asked to do that and I've turned it down. The thought of maine being a playing skipper sometime soon has travel up and I've changeable it down consecutive away," he said.

"I don't deliberation you tin do it."

There has not been a playing skipper astatine nan Ryder Cup since Arnold Palmer for a victorious American broadside successful 1963.

McIlroy thinks nan maturation of nan arena successful nan decades since intends it "would beryllium a very difficult position to beryllium in".

"There's a batch of things that group don't spot that nan skipper does nan week of nan Ryder Cup, particularly now that nan Ryder Cup has go truthful big," he said.

"The skipper isn't going to beryllium connected nan people each day, truthful nan skipper is only going to beryllium capable to play 1 convention connected Friday, 1 convention connected Saturday. Would you not alternatively person nan elasticity to spell doubly if he's playing well? There's conscionable a batch of different things that spell into it.

"That's why, and it's conscionable my opinion, I deliberation it would beryllium very difficult to do."

McIlroy played pinch Bradley for nan first 2 rounds of nan Travelers Championship successful June, a signature arena connected nan PGA Tour that nan American won by a stroke complete Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley.

"I decidedly deliberation he's 1 of nan 12 champion American players correct now," McIlroy added.

"That's why everyone is truthful willing and it's specified a compelling case.

"I'm conscionable arsenic willing arsenic everyone other to spot really it each plays out."

McIlroy will play pinch world number 1 Scottie Scheffler astatine nan BMW Championship, teeing disconnected astatine 16:16 BST connected Thursday.

The arena marks McIlroy's first action since finishing successful a necktie for seventh astatine nan Open Championship astatine Royal Portrush successful July, aft he skipped nan FedEx St Jude Championship successful Memphis past week - nan opening play-off arena of nan PGA Tour season.

The five-time awesome victor was criticised by immoderate sections of nan media for missing nan event, but defended nan determination fixed his schedule for nan remainder of nan year.

McIlroy, who besides noted that different players "aren't 18 years into their master careers", will play astatine nan Irish Open adjacent period earlier heading to nan DP World India Championship successful October and nan Australian Open successful December.

"I consciousness for illustration I'm successful benignant of a different position to immoderate of nan guys. I'm playing 9 times betwixt now and nan extremity of nan twelvemonth truthful I've still sewage a beautiful engaged agelong coming up," he said.

"I deliberation that other week disconnected will do maine bully pinch nan events coming up - immoderate large events that are important to me. Irish Open, [the BMW PGA Championship at] Wentworth, evidently nan Ryder Cup, and I want to effort and triumph my seventh Race to Dubai.

"There's immoderate things that are still important to maine that I want to spell and play in. That was a large portion of nan logic why I took nan week disconnected past week."