What Rory McIlroy had to say about Ian Poulter still hoping to be Ryder Cup captain

The LIV Golf player is currently ineligible for the post due to the fact he is no longer a member of the DP World Tour and it would require a huge rules change for him to even come under consideration.

In a recent interview with Al Arabiya English, seven-time Ryder Cup player Poulter said that he would relish the opportunity to captain European and hopes that a “sense of coming together” in the game after its civil war could still allow that to happen.

Speaking on the eve of the DP World Tour’s latest Rolex Series event at its headquarters in Surrey, McIlroy offered his thoughts on whether Poulter or other LIV Golf players might yet lead Europe into battle against the Americans.

“I think it's hard because we don't really see them anymore,” said the world No 3, who will be one of the key players in Luke Donald’s team for next year’s trophy defence at Bethpage Black in New York. 

”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, [Lee] Westwood, how can these young up and comers, you know, 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.”

Bob MacIntyre, who played alongside McIlroy on last year’s winning team in Rome, is one of the players the Northern Irishman is referring to in terms of not really knowing the likes of Poulter, Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia.

“Yeah, I get that,” said the Genesis Scottish Open champion, who is flying the Saltire with seven of his compatriots in this week’s $9 million event, of a captain needing to be relatable to up-and-coming players. “But it depends what the Tour do and what the people at the top decide how it all works.

“I just want to play in the Ryder Cup. I need to play good week-in, week-out, here and in America, play good golf, and I kind of leave that to the main people.”

Two years ago, MacIntyre was paired with Donald in the opening two rounds of this event before going on to secure an automatic spot in the Englishman’s team for the contest at Marco Simone Golf Club.

“Yeah, it's important to know everyone,” he added of US-based Donald having made an effort to get to know players. “Obviously Luke was playing a lot in Europe, and he was by my side for a lot of golf tournaments in the end, which was also difficult because he's going to put a bit of extra pressure on you. But, yeah, Luke did a great job on that side of it and I'm sure he's going to do the same for the next one.”

McIlroy, meanwhile, offered an interesting answer to being asked if, on a personal level, he’d have any objections to being captained by Poulter, Westwood or any of the other LIV Golf players who could come into the equation, “It's such a gray area,” said the Northern Irishman, who is battling a cough as he bids to bounce back from last weekend’s Irish Open disappointment at Royal County Down. “There's some that I would be okay with and others I wouldn't be okay with.”