Rory McIlroy told by US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley: "You might be right"

Keegan Bradley says Rory McIlroy 'might be right' in his assertion it's impossible to be a playing captain at the Ryder Cup.

McIlroy told reporters before the BMW Championship that taking on the dual role is not possible.

Bradley finds himself in the position where he could still qualify for Team USA automatically.

But leaving himself out altogether if he finishes inside the top 12 in the US Ryder Cup standings might also be a poor choice.

Bradley, 38, told reporters at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland that it is still his intention to qualify for the team automatically.

"I've been saying all year you can't expect to be on the team unless you're in the top six," Bradley said.

"My goal is to go out there, whether I was Ryder Cup captain or not this week, and play well and play well next week at the Tour Championship as well.

"There's definitely a lot more on my plate here these next couple of weeks. The Ryder Cup has always been so far away, and now it's right there. Things are definitely amping up.

"I still have a lot to prove just as well as everyone around me on the list."

What did Rory McIlroy say?

McIlroy addressed the golf media on Wednesday. Aside from defending his decision to skip the first leg of the PGA Tour's playoffs, McIlroy said the dual role is too difficult to take on.

The situation would've been different 20 years ago, McIlroy said, but now the biennial contest has become so big there are simply too many commitments for a player to also be a skipper. 

McIlroy said he's just as eager as everyone else to see how the situation will unfold.

"He might be right," Bradley said. "We don't know. No one knows.

"Yeah, like everybody's telling me to start the year that a player can't be captain and have a good year. For me, I feel like this is one of my best years that I've ever had.

"One of the strangest things, what I've done throughout my entire career is really lean on other people for advice and calling people and asking them, how do you prepare for a major? 

"What do you do with the last tee time? How do you deal with the media? How do you deal with corporate obligations?

"In this instance, there's no one to call. So nobody knows how this could work.

"I certainly have a lot of concerns, as well as everybody else, but I have the most incredible vice captains, including Jim Furyk, who's been on these teams and been captain a bunch of times.

"Quite frankly, I've been leaning on them more than any other captain ever anyways, even if I'm not playing.

"We're ready for this if it happens. I'm not sure it’s going to.

"I can truly sit here right now and say I don't know what’s going to happen.

"I have to look at myself just like any other player trying to make the team."