(Reuters) -Rory McIlroy has his sights set on leading Europe in the Ryder Cup one day, but the Northern Irishman joked on Wednesday that he hopes to be wielding clubs rather than clipboards when the next edition rolls around in 2027 in Ireland.
Speaking ahead of the inaugural DP World India Championship in New Delhi, McIlroy said captaining Europe would come only after his playing days wind down — or when he’s no longer good enough to make the team.
“Certainly not 2027, I hope I’m still playing at that point. But I would love to be the European team captain at some point,” McIlroy told reporters on Wednesday.
“But 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. I feel very fortunate that I’ve had a front-row seat playing under some of the best captains in history in the Ryder Cup.”
MCILROY PRAISES EUROPE CAPTAIN DONALD
A five-times major winner and world number two, McIlroy is playing his first tournament after starring in Europe’s nail-biting 15-13 Ryder Cup victory in the United States last month.
The Masters champion heaped praise on Luke Donald, saying he “revolutionised the captaincy” as he led Europe to victories in Italy in 2023 and at Bethpage Black.
“The time, the effort and the dedication that Luke Donald has put into the last four years, it’s been absolutely amazing,” McIlroy added.
“He has the 100% respect of the entire team and everyone that’s worked for 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.”
MCILROY SAYS EUROPE’S ACHIEVEMENT WAS OVERSHADOWED
The last Ryder Cup at Bethpage was not without controversy, however, with McIlroy bearing the brunt of abusive behaviour from hostile American fans.
The situation became so heated that a master of ceremonies stepped down after joining in with a vulgar chant aimed at McIlroy, while the chief of the PGA of America said he would apologise directly to him, team Europe and their families.
McIlroy lamented that the fan behaviour overshadowed Europe’s achievement in retaining the cup on American soil.
“Obviously it’s been two weeks, and I’ve been following the sort of narrative coming out of the Ryder Cup just like everyone else,” he said.
“The unfortunate thing is people aren’t remembering that and they are remembering the week for the wrong reason.
“I would like to shift the narrative and focus on how good the European team were and how proud I was to be part of that team to win an away Ryder Cup.”
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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