Rory McIlroy says the news of Keegan Bradley’s appointment as the United States’ Ryder Cup captain was met with “disbelief” by members of the European team.
Bradley was handed the role for the clash in New York next year on Tuesday after the PGA of America failed to persuade Tiger Woods despite months of negotiations.
At 38 years of age, Bradley will become the youngest Ryder Cup captain since Arnold Palmer was a playing captain in 1963.
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McIlroy was informed of the appointment by Bradley’s European counterpart Luke Donald at a dinner on Sunday and he admitted to being taken aback.
“I think disbelief, probably” when asked for his initial reaction. “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.”
McIlroy: Can’t play and captain
Bradley is currently 19th in the world rankings but McIlroy does not believe it’s possible to combine captaincy with playing and revealed he had thought about a dual role for the event at Adare Manor in 2027.
“I have contemplated it for Adare and no, there’s too much work that goes into it,” he said. “I have seen what Luke went through preparing for Rome [last year] and there is no way. There is no way you can be as good a captain as you need to be and be a player 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. It is 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 or the week of the event.
“Keegan is the 19th-ranked player in the world so he has a great chance of making the team. If he does, he is just going to have to give that captaincy role to one of his vice-captains.”
