McIlroy eyes Ryder Cup captaincy, but not in 2027

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 per cent 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,