Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy has revealed that he has declined an invitation to serve as a playing captain at a future Ryder Cup, firmly believing the combined duties are unmanageable in today's game.
The five-time major winner revealed his stance while discussing US captain Keegan Bradley's potential self-selection for the 2025 contest at Bethpage Black next month.
"I've been asked to do that and I've turned it down," McIlroy stated at the BMW Championship. "The idea of me being a playing captain some time soon has come up and I've shut it down straight away. I don't think you can do it."
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Bradley finds himself in an awkward predicament as he currently sits 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking and could qualify automatically for his own squad with a victory in the remaining FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Rory McIlroy confirmed he had 'turned down' the opportunity to become a future captain at the Ryder Cup
| GETTYThe 2011 PGA Champion ranks amongst the dozen best American golfers according to both world rankings and Data Golf metrics, making him a legitimate candidate for selection.
Should he fail to secure automatic qualification, the 39-year-old must decide whether to use one of his six captain's picks on himself for the September contest in New York.
His recent performances have strengthened his case as a potential team member.
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Keegan Bradley currently sits 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking and could qualify automatically for his own squad
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McIlroy outlined the numerous obligations that modern Ryder Cup captains face during tournament week, from additional media duties to meetings with vice-captains and golf associations.
"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," he explained.
The Northern Irishman emphasised how the event's growth has transformed captaincy demands compared to previous decades.
"If you'd have said it 20 years ago, I'd say, yeah, it was probably possible to do, but how big of a spectacle and everything that's on the line in a Ryder Cup now, I just think it would be a very difficult position to be in."
McIlroy acknowledged Bradley's credentials, stating: "I definitely think he's one of the best 12 American players right now."
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Rory McIlroy firmly placed Keegan Bradley in his top 12 American golfers
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Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler echoed this assessment, with both endorsing Bradley's potential inclusion in the team.
"If I was the captain, I'd pick Keegan. I think he's played great," Cantlay remarked, whilst acknowledging the substantial responsibilities Bradley would face that week.
Fowler concurred, adding: "I don't think you're going to find any or many Americans that are going to argue that he shouldn't be on the team."
The last playing captain in Ryder Cup history was Arnold Palmer in 1963, when the tournament operated on a vastly smaller scale than today's global spectacle.