Rory McIlroy celebrates during the final day of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone.
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NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — As of a few days ago, the idea of Rory McIlroy as a Ryder Cup captain seemed many, many years away. He’s one of the best golfers in the world and still in the prime of his playing career. But then the American Ryder Cup team appointed Keegan Bradley to the lead position for next year’s Cup. Thirty-eight-year-old Keegan Bradley. Just three years older than McIlroy.
The surprise in Bradley’s appointment isn’t just because he’s so young, nor that it seemed like a job destined for Tiger Woods, but also because he’s one of the best golfers on the planet. DataGolf ranks him No. 35 in the world, thanks to a major turn in form the past few seasons. The fact that Bradley would take the captaincy while he still wants to make the team as a player makes the move at least a little bit puzzling. Paul McGinley, a member of the decision-making staff for Team Europe, even said they’d welcome the idea of an American playing captain.
The thought is tantalizing and hard to ignore. Bradley nearly qualified for the American team a year ago. It’s entirely plausible he could win a points-heavy tournament early in 2025 and launch up the ranking. When asked about being a playing captain, Bradley said he’d do so only if he qualified for the team automatically. It may be a long shot idea, but it exists now more than it has in decades. So much so that McIlroy was asked Thursday afternoon, following a first-round 65 at the Genesis Scottish Open: Is it really plausible to do both jobs?
“No absolutely not,” McIlroy said. “I’ve contemplated it for Adare [Manor, in 2027] and no, there’s much work that goes into it. I’ve seen what Luke 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.”
It turns out, no person on earth could have a better idea of that role than McIlroy. He knows what captains do well for players, having played in seven cups over his career. He also knows what works well for captains, having been very close to Luke Donald’s captaincy in 2023. It was Donald (also the European captain for 2025) who actually broke the Bradley news to McIlroy and a few of his teammates Sunday night in London. McIlroy was clearly presented with the idea for that type of job, and it wouldn’t be too different than what Bradley is trying to do. When Team Europe looks to defend its turf at Adare Manor in 2027, he’ll be 38 as well.
So, did McIlroy give it much consideration?
“No. It’s been mentioned and I’ve just said, ‘No way,’” he said. “It depends — what do you want? 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 be, you can’t captain. 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, the week of the event.
“Keegan is the 19th-ranked player in the world so he’s got a great chance of making the team, and then if he does, I think he’s just going to have to give that captaincy role to one of his vice-captains.”
There won’t be any surprise for Bradley in the coming months as to just how intense the role of captain can be. He sat through a bunch of media obligations Tuesday after his introduction in New York City. Then he made a site visit Wednesday to check out Bethpage Black for the first time in years. He’s posing for photos, discussing strategy. Next up will be discussions on how to build his team, how many automatic qualifiers there may be, what the uniforms may look like and the scheduling of dinners and team activities.
It’s clear McIlroy isn’t wrong — that’s a whole lot to add to an already busy playing schedule. But Bradley isn’t nearly as opposed as he is. When asked about it himself, his first thoughts were rather forthright:
“And one thing that is important to me is I want to play on the team,” he said. “I feel as though I’m still in the prime of my career and can make this team.”
