McIlroy Dreams of Captaining the Ryder Cup: Long-Term Plans

Rory McIlroy Aims to Captain the European Ryder Cup Team in the Future

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy has expressed his desire to be captain of the European Ryder Cup team, but not until the mid-2030s. McIlroy is participating in his first tournament in India this week, marking his return to competition after contributing to Europe’s victory in the Ryder Cup against the United States last month. The 36-year-old player has participated in the last eight Ryder Cups and, as the world number 2 and current Masters champion, expects to remain part of the team for a few more years, especially in the 2027 edition in Ireland.

Absolutely, I would love to be captain someday, and I feel very fortunate to have had a front-row seat playing under some of the best captains in history at the Ryder Cup.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy mentioned Paul McGinley, the winning captain of 2014, and Luke Donald, who led Europe in the last two encounters. McIlroy commented that he expects to continue playing well until the mid-2030s. During the Ryder Cup, McIlroy was criticized by American spectators, but he also responded in a tense environment that became a side issue of the week. The golfer considers it regrettable that the outstanding performance of the European team is not remembered, which managed to be the first team to win a Ryder Cup away from home since 2012.

The unfortunate thing is that people are not remembering that and are remembering the week for the wrong reason. I would like to change the narrative and focus on how good the European team was and how proud I was to be part of that team to win a Ryder Cup away from home.

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy has long expressed his desire to play in India, seeking to make his schedule more international. In November, he will participate in Abu Dhabi and in the European Tour’s season-ending tournament in Dubai, followed by the Australian Open in December. The golfer has enjoyed traveling more and playing in front of new audiences in recent years. McIlroy, a confessed cricket fan, regretted not being able to attend a cricket match during his stay in India.