'Certainly not 2027': Rory McIlroy provides potential Ryder Cup captaincy timeline after ruling himself out for Adare Manor
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy admits he “would love to be a captain one day” in the Ryder Cup – but has categorically ruled himself out of leading Team Europe into their defence at Adare Manor in 2027.
McIlroy has won six Ryder Cup crowns and sits seventh on the list of all-time points amassed in golf’s premier competition, picking up a total of 21.5, including 3.5 as Europe won on American soil at Bethpage Black last month.
With the Ryder Cup returning to Ireland for the first time since 2006 in two years time, many wondered if McIlroy would fancy combining playing duties with captaincy commitments in Limerick – but the 36-year-old has dismissed that possibility.
However, McIlroy, who is preparing to tee off at the DP World India Championship on Thursday morning, insists he’d love to take on the honour when no longer in a position to make the team.
"Sometime, yes – certainly not 2027,” he said. “I hope I'm still playing at that point.
"But yeah, I would love to be the European team captain at some point...that will be beyond my playing days, or at least when my playing days are coming to an end and I'm not good enough to make the team or I make way for the new generation to come along.
"Hopefully that's not in 2027! Hopefully I'm still good enough to play and put points on the board for Europe.
“But yeah, absolutely, I would love to be a captain one day, and I feel very fortunate that I've had a front row seat playing under some of the best captains in the history in the Ryder Cup.
“I think what Luke Donald has done the last two Ryder Cups has revolutionised the captaincy within Europe, and I feel like Paul McGinley in Gleneagles in 2014, he was a wonderful captain...I learned a lot from him.
"There's been wonderful captains between them, as well. All of them have been wonderful.
“But I think the time and the effort and the dedication that Luke Donald has put into the last four years, it's been absolutely amazing.
"He has 100 percent respect of the entire team and everyone that's worked for him and all be behind him. If I can be nearly as good as a captain as Luke Donald, I'll have done a good job.
“So hopefully one day in the future, but I'd say not until the mid-2030s, hopefully, if I can keep playing well.”