Rory Mcilroy: Being A Playing Ryder Cup Captain Is Not Possible

Rory McIlroy has said he does not think that it is possible to be a playing captain for the Ryder Cup, while also rejecting the idea of being a future one.

McIlroy will spearhead the European challenge at this year's event, which will take place at Bethpage Black in New York at the end of September. 

The 36-year-old has already qualified for Team Europe, which will be led by Luke Donald, with the United States captained by Keegan Bradley. 

Tiger Woods turned down the role, with world number 12 Bradley selected last July, though after a strong run of form in 2025, he sits 10th in the American rankings. 

If Bradley finishes in the top six after this week's tournament, he'll automatically qualify, with the other six spots made up of wildcards picked by the captain. 

Bradley could use one of his six captain's choices on himself. He previously said he would choose himself only if "I feel like I'm going to help the team."

But McIlroy does not believe it is possible to combine the roles of playing in the competition as well as overseeing the duties of being a captain. 

"I've been asked to do that, and I've turned it down," McIlroy said ahead of this weekend's BMW Championship in Maryland. 

"The idea of me being a playing captain sometime soon has come up, and I've shot it down straight away. I don't think you can do it."

There has not been a Ryder Cup playing captain since Arnold Palmer led the U.S. team to a 23-9 rout over the Europeans at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta in 1963.

"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.

"The captain isn't going to be on the course all day, so the captain is only going to be able to play one session on Friday, one session on Saturday.

"Would you not rather have the flexibility to go twice if he's playing well? There's just a lot of different things that go into it.

"That's why, and it's just my opinion, I think it would be very difficult to do."

McIlroy played with Bradley for two rounds of the Travelers Championship in June, a tournament the American won by a stroke over Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley.

Bradley has also managed nine top-20 finishes in 2025, with McIlroy lauding his recent efforts, saying: "I definitely think he's one of the 12 best American players right now. 

"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."