To McIlroy’s point, playing captains at the Ryder Cup are incredibly rare. Arnold Palmer was the last one back in 1963, and he led the United States team to a dominant 23-9 win over the Europeans.

McIlroy, 36, had already mentioned last summer that he had turned down a chance to be playing captain at the 2027 Ryder Cup. That he was brought into discussions is not a surprise; McIlroy has been the team’s heart and soul for the better part of a decade and the event will be played in Ireland at Adare Manor,