When a 21-year-old Rory McIlroy made his first European Ryder Cup team in 2010, he wasn\u2019t all that enthused. The budding star called the event an exhibition, saying it wasn\u2019t all that important to him.<\/p>\n
Oh, has his perspective changed.<\/p>\n
Older, wiser and more experienced, McIlroy comes to Bethpage Black to play his eighth Ryder Cup, the most by any player on either side, with his heart full.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got into that team room at Celtic Manor (in 2010), and I just saw how much it meant to everyone,\u201d said McIlroy on Thursday. \u201cI was like, maybe I got this wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Friday, he will play as the on-course leader of his side, trying to guide his 11 teammates to one of the more difficult results: a win on U.S. soil. He will do it with his clubs but also with his voice and emotions, trying to find a perfect balance of the two.<\/p>\n
That hasn\u2019t always been easy. Most weeks, when he tees it up on the PGA Tour, the Northern Irishman is a star, loved by fans at every step. This week, while he\u2019ll undoubtedly get some support, he\u2019ll feel the jeers and boos from the fans lining up on the American side.<\/p>\n
McIlroy has played up to the crowd at past Ryder Cups on U.S. soil, never afraid to push back against their taunts. In 2016, in a singles match against Patrick Reed, he drained a long putt and let out a primal scream, put his hand to his ear and mouthed the words \u201cI can\u2019t hear you\u201d while bouncing around the green. The fans shot back with boos and catcalls.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel at times in the Ryder Cup, I have engaged too much with that, too much with the crowd,\u201d McIlroy admitted at a press conference on Thursday. \u201cBut then there\u2019s times where I haven\u2019t engaged enough. So, it\u2019s really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Locating that equilibrium is also key for whoever partners with McIlroy through the first four sessions. A home game can be easy with fans on your side but playing an away match takes some extra patience. No one gets more attention from loudmouths than McIlroy, and for a golfer not used to it, it can be unsettling.<\/p>\n
For Tommy Fleetwood, who is likely to pair with McIlroy in the two foursomes sessions, the atmosphere is one to be savoured rather than feared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think whoever he gets to play with Rory this week, like what a privilege,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat an amazing thing to be able to do, to stand next to him on the golf course and play alongside him. He\u2019s one of if not the greatest players of our generation. The energy that I think he has, that he brings to your team, that he brings to the Ryder Cup, I think is amazing. I think it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIlroy\u2019s energy doesn\u2019t just exist on the course. It\u2019s also a vital part of the European team\u2019s locker room. Captain Luke Donald tries to position McIlroy\u2019s spot as equal to the other 11 players while acknowledging that his experience and achievements carry some extra weight. He is certainly a golfer the rest of the team looks up to and his words and passion can be felt by everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see the emotion both ways,\u201d stated Donald. \u201cWhen he lost in Wisconsin (in 2021) the tears were flowing. He felt, as the player he is, that he needed to play better and he felt he let himself down and the team. That\u2019s kind of the brotherhood we have in our team. He sees himself as a leader but also just one of 12.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are a lot of familiar faces on the European 12 with only one newcomer, Rasmus Hojgaard, replacing his brother Nikolai. McIlroy knows the other 10 returnees understand everyone has to pull their weight if they are to win the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. While he\u2019s happy to handle the majority of the barbs thrown at the team, all 12 players need to perform on the course.<\/p>\n
While they come in as underdogs on the betting pages, there is little doubt among the players that they can beat the Americans on their own turf. That would be something special.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think that winning another away Ryder Cup, just considering how hard that has been over the past 12 years,\u201d said McIlroy, \u201cit would be one of the greatest accomplishments of my career for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
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