World No. 1 Rory McIlroy has doused any burn out fears ahead of the Ryder Cup declaring to European captain Paul McGinley ‘put me in every Gleneagles match’.
McIlroy will tee up later today (FRD) in the opening round of the $8m Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston and the second of the four FedEx Cup Play-Off Series.
It is also McIlroy’s sixth event in seven weeks and when including the next two events in Denver and Atlanta, he will have played eight of nine weeks since the Scottish Open and with then just a week’s break before the Ryder Cup.
And an indication of McIlroy’s busy lifestyle the four-time Major winner arrived in Massachusetts having spent Monday court side at Flushing Meadow supporting Andy Murray in his US Open round encounter.
He then savoured a three-hour lunch on Long Island with former US President Bill Clinton, and with the now 68-year old enthralling McIlroy with tales of his White House dealings with the likes of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and now deceased Yasser Arafat.
McIlroy then played a social game Tuesday afternoon at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, and venue for the 2018 US Open, defeating his manager Sean O’Flaherty 2 & 1 before tackling his caddy J P Fitzgerald in a social match on Wednesday at nearby Sabonek and where McIlroy is a member.
However McIlroy played down any concern ahead of teeing up in this week’s Boston event he also captured two years ago.
“You just have to be smart and you have to be sensible,” he said.
“I enjoyed my time in the week after winning the PGA Championship and besides I didn’t have that many late nights where I let it get the better of me, and when I was still getting at least seven to eight hours.
“Even today I was up around 4.30am in readiness for my 6.50am Pro-Am tee time and even after some lunch I’m fine with spending some time on the range and the practice putting green before I’ll go back to my room and have a sleep before dinner, as I found that really, really helps.
“So I am trying to conserve all the energy I can because not only do I want to win the FedEx Cup but I know with the Ryder Cup it’s going to be a huge week and a long week where you want to be fresh.
“And besides I didn’t sit out a match at Medinah so my message is ‘McGinley stick down for every match’.
McIlroy will play the opening two rounds in the company of Americans Jimmy Walker and Hunter Mahan.