Rory McIlroy believes that Keegan Bradley would have to reliniquish captaincy of the United States if he qualifies to play in next year’s Ryder Cup.
Bradley was confirmed as a surprise appointment to lead the USA at Bethpage Black, a course he knows well, next year.
The 38-year-old still occupies a place in the world’s top 20 and narrowly missed out on a place in Zach Johnson’s selection in Rome.
He suggested after taking the role that he still intends to attempt to qualify for the 2025 edition, raising the possibility of him becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.
But McIlroy, having considered the prospect of doing so himself on home soil at Adare Manor in 2027, believes that balancing the two roles would be impossible and Bradley would be forced to reliniquish his position.
“No, absolutely not,” the Northern Irishman said after his opening round at the Scottish Open. “I’ve contemplated it for Adare [in 2027] but there’s too much work that goes into it. I’ve seen what Luke [Donald] went through preparing for Rome.
“There’s no way you can be as good a captain as you need to be and be a playing captain as well.
“If you want to be the best captain you can be, you can’t play. And if you want to be the best player, you can’t captain. So it’s one or the other, especially with how big the Ryder Cup has become and how many things you have to do in the lead-up to the event.
“Keegan is the 19th-ranked in the world so he has a great chance of making the team. If he does, I think he’s going to have to give that captaincy role to one of the vice-captains.”
Donald will lead Europe again in New York having steered the team to victory at Marco Simone Golf Club last year.
It had appeared that Tiger Woods might be his American counterpart, but the 15-time major winner turned down the role due to other commitments.
It left the PGA scrambling to find a successor to Johnson, and McIlroy admits that he and his European team mates were shocked that they settled upon Bradley.
“I think disbelief, probably,” McIlroy said of the overriding reaction having been told at a dinner attended by several of Donald’s squad.
“I think Keegan was probably in disbelief at some point too, but [it is] certainly an interesting pick. Definitely I think a surprise for everyone.
“But he knows Bethpage very well. He went to university in the area. He’s obviously very passionate about the Ryder Cup. It’s certainly a departure from what the US have done over the last few years, and time will tell if that’s a good thing or not.”