Rory McIlroy believes the 2025 European Ryder Cup team chosen to head to New York in coming weeks will be more ‘flexible’ than the team that brilliantly triumphed two years ago in Rome.
McIlroy will be making an eighth straight appearance for Europe since making his debut in 2010 and with all but the 2019 at Hazeltine in Minnesota his only experience of now seven Ryder Cups not being on a winning side.
“Obviously Rome worked out very, very well for us. But as you said, you could argue that pretty much every player in the team is is more accomplished than what they were two years ago.”
MCILROY @McIlroyRory DOES THE TALKING AHEAD @IrishOpen_ ….
⭐️ 2025 @RyderCupEurope team
⭐️ Any sympathy for Sergio Garcia not picked
⭐️ Donald Trump to visit @rydercupRead: https://t.co/oLHAiHk4IF
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As for the pressure and the assured hostile challenge outside the Bethpage Park Ryder Cup ropes?
“I’m very excited,” said McIlroy. “I’ve said this repeatedly, but I think winning an away Ryder Cup is up there with one of the biggest achievements in the game, especially nowadays.
“There’s a reason that every Ryder Cup for the last 10 years has went to the home team. You know that the home team do have a big advantage, from the setup of the golf course to how partisan the crowd is.
“So, yeah, I think the Europeans have a wonderful opportunity this year to to achieve something very, very special, but it’s also going to be very difficult.
“They have a very strong team. They’re going to have a pretty raucous crowd on their side and on a golf course that a lot of them know pretty well from, you know, previous tournaments there.
“Make no mistake, we know we’re up against it, we know we’ve got a tall task on our hands.”
US President Donald Trump is expected to attend the opening day of the Ryder Cup and McIlroy has no doubt that will add to the partisan atmosphere.
“I guess all we can do is control our response and our reaction to it,” he said. “I watched a little bit of Novak Djokovic last night playing in his (US Open) match against Taylor Fritz. It was a very pro American crowd, you know. “He’s been the best at handling that sort of… he’s had to deal with it his whole life, whether it’s playing against an American in New York or playing against Roger or Rafa.
“He came and spoke to us a little bit about that stuff last time in Rome. So, you know, maybe taking a leaf out of his book and channelling that energy the right way
“But again, all we can do is control our reaction and our emotions to it, and I think the less we play into it, the better it is for us.”
And while García and McIlroy have collectively done so much to raise the level of the Europe golf map while also sharing great friendships, including the two were so close that McIlroy even served as a groomsman at Garcia’s wedding to Angela, it’s all turned sour in recent years since Garcia chose to defect to LIV.
It’s also why there was no escaping for McIlroy when asked the question his thoughts in Sergio Garcia not being afforded a Luke Donald captain’s pick and whether he had any sympathy for the Spaniard.
“No, I don’t (understand),” McIlroy said ahead of his 16th Irish Open start at the scene of his 2016 win. “I mean, it would have been great for the tournament if Sergio played, but obviously, he was trying to keep himself sharp, I guess, if he did get a pick.
“He has the right to enter and pull out of whatever tournaments he wants to. As I said, Luke, has assembled a very strong 12 players, and I think the right 12 players, and I’m sure he’s disappointed.
“But you know, at the same time, I’m sure he wishes Europe well and wants us to win.”
As we now know there is just one change in the side that won back the Ryder Cup in Rome two years ago, with Rasmus Hojgaard coming in for his twin brother Nicolai.
It could be argued that all 12 are far stronger players than they were two years ago and McIlroy believes Donald has the right mixture of players to grab Europe’s first away win since 2012.
“The entire team has played some very good golf between Rome and now,” McIlroy said.
“Someone like Rob MacIntyre, who’s won a couple of times now on the PGA Tour, had a chance to win the US Open.
“And I think as well, speaking to the team, a few of the guy’s games, or the profile of their games, if you look at it from a stats perspective, I think when we went to Rome, you had some guys that were purely foursomes players, some guys that were purely fourball players. ‘I think now we have a lot of flexibility within that 12 in foursomes or fourballs to change the dynamics around a little bit”.
