"Hopefully it is impossible," - Rory McIlroy reacts to Keegan Bradley as potential Ryder Cup playing captain

Last year, Rory McIlroy had said that it was impossible to be a playing captain at the Ryder Cup. Now, he feels that the U.S. team has better chances with Keegan Bradley in the lineup, as he is one of the best 12 players in the country.

On Friday, July 11, Rory McIlroy carded a 5-under 65 to jump 27 spots to T6 at the Genesis Scottish Open. Next week, he will head to Northern Ireland for the Open Championship, but he also has the Ryder Cup in a couple of months.

During the post-round interview at The Renaissance Club, the five-time major champion was asked about his opinion on Keegan Bradley's potential role as a playing captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Notably, he had said last year that it was impossible to take on dual duties in the biennial event in this era.

"Hopefully it is impossible," he jokingly said about his past statement. "Keegan has played great. He's had a great year. He had the win at the Travelers. Obviously I'm not in those conversations and from an outside perspective, it's going to be interesting to see what the US Team does with that.

"I definitely think the US Team is better with Keegan playing than not playing. I definitely think he's one of the best 12 American players right now. It's going to be an interesting couple months to see how that all shakes out," he added.

The Ryder Cup 2025 is set to take place from September 26 to 28 at the Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, New York.

Ryder Cup 2025 players rankings ft. Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley explored

Here's a look at the players' rankings for the upcoming Ryder Cup:

Team USA

Rory McIlroy (NIR) – 3138.45 (Q)
Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) – 1237.43
Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) – 1216.55
Robert MacIntyre (SCO) – 1212.11
Shane Lowry (IRL) – 1202.11
Sepp Straka (AUT) – 1146.33
Rasmus Højgaard (DEN) – 1072.33
Ludvig Åberg (SWE) – 909.53
Justin Rose (ENG) – 886.84
Viktor Hovland (NOR) – 882.31
Thomas Detry (BEL) – 750.59
Matt Wallace (ENG) – 717.97

Team Europe

Scottie Scheffler – 27536.93 (Q)
Xander Schauffele – 12472.70
J.J. Spaun – 12271.85
Russell Henley – 11166.85
Bryson DeChambeau – 10318.00
Justin Thomas – 9997.69
Collin Morikawa – 9743.61
Ben Griffin – 8604.91
Keegan Bradley – 7881.22
Harris English – 7666.52
Maverick McNealy – 7126.46
Brian Harman – 6521.26

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Shobhit is one of Sportskeeda’s most seasoned golf journalists, having already authored 3600+ articles and received nearly 5.7 million reads. Prior to his current role, he worked with the Asiana Times after completing his MSc in Geology, giving him a solid foundation in understanding the terrain, variety and challenges posed by various golf courses.

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Shobhit was a fan of Tiger Woods growing up, but of late, Nelly Korda, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg have caught his attention.

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Edited by Shobhit Kukreti