Rory McIlroy has admitted to having mixed feelings about playing for a European Ryder Cup team led by players who defected to LIV Golf.
The likes of Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter, all Ryder Cup legends in their own right, are currently ineligible to compete in the biennial contest after giving up their DP World Tour membership after joining the breakaway circuit.
As it stands, they will also be unable to captain the European side in the future.
Current DP World Tour regulations stipulate that any member who fails to comply with the minimum Counting Tournament Regulation in any one Official Season or who does not take up Ranked Membership in an Official Season in which he is so eligible will be ineligible thereafter to be selected as the European Ryder Cup Captain or Vice Captain.
That leaves Westwood, Stenson and Poulter, who earlier this week admitted he still wants to captain the side, hoping the DP World and PGA Tour’s talks with Public Investment Fund (PIF) allow them some sort of route back to captaining Europe.
While talks remain ongoing to reach an agreement on what the future of golf will look like, McIlory remains unconvinced particular players should be let back into the fold.
“It’s such a grey area,” responded McIlroy when asked if he had any objections to being captained by Poulter or Westwood
“There’s some that I would be okay with and others I wouldn’t be okay with. Sorry to put them all in the same bucket.”
Addressing Poulter’s comments that he would still like to lead the European side, McIlory admitted his former teammate has the credentials for the job, but questioned whether he could really commit to the role give his affiliation with LIV Golf.
“I think it’s hard because we don’t really see them anymore,” he added.
“You need someone around that’s comfortable. You look at what Luke has done the last few years, he’s really made an effort to come over. He played in Czech Republic. He was in Switzerland.
“He’s making an effort to be around the players and make the players feel comfortable with him, the up-and-comers that haven’t had a chance yet to be on a team or trying to make a team.
“With the guys that left, Poulter, Westwood, how can these young up and comers build a rapport with them when they are never here? You can’t see them. I think that’s a really important part of a Ryder Cup and a Ryder Cup captaincy.
“I’m not saying that Poulter doesn’t have the credentials to be a Ryder Cup Captain, but I just think with the current state of where everything is, you need someone that’s around and showing their face as much as they can.
“Right now, that honestly just can’t be them because they are elsewhere.”
