Rory McIlroy loved the Ryder Cup. Photo: AP/Alessandra Tarantino
This is a statement that Rory McIlroy still hasn't made. survived, even after 14 years. Back in 2009, when he was a ball of unbridled energy with Dennis the Menace hair, he had the audacity to downplay the Ryder Cup as an «exhibition» that «just isn't that important to me.» He suggested that any lavish celebrations would be beneath him, and the then 20-year-old promised: “I’m not going to run around and wave my fists.”
At 34, McIlroy, who has since become a screaming banshee of the European cause, feels a certain cognitive dissonance seeing those words written down. So the team had the pleasure of recording a video of him reading them out loud here in Rome. A picture of shyness, he reflected: “I said this out of my naivety, being a young and brave guy. I've competed in the Ryder Cup many times before and these quotes couldn't be further from the truth.»
In a curious way, the story of McIlroy's seven Ryder Cups mirrors McIlroy's emotional development. Making his debut in 2010, he showed off his mischievous youth to such an extent that thousands of fans turned out at Celtic Manor wearing wigs that imitated his curls. By 2012, he was a two-time major winner, but was still such a chaotic character that he slept through the alarm on the final day, hitchhiking to Medina by a kindly state trooper to play singles.
Gleneagles witnessed a version of the alpha male as he pushed Europe's victory march as world number 1, while the Hazeltine bear pit brought him to such a height of emotion against Patrick Reed that it was feared he might burst a vein. In Paris he had performed many magical feats, including one miraculous escape from a lakeside, but in Whistling Sound he was a shell, so devastated by the misery of winning just one point that he cried on live television.
Rome introduces us to another incarnation of European golf's most fascinating character: the elder statesman. McIlroy is competing the most this year, mentored by four newcomers: Ludwig Aberg, Sepp Straka, Bob McIntyre and Nikolaj Hojgaard. Although he despised himself in his days as a self-confident prodigy, he now feels an almost spiritual connection to this event, whose sharp rise and fall intensify every aspect of his sensitive nature.
“I felt a little bad about my previous comments, and rightfully so,” McIlroy said. “I think in 2009 I was so focused on myself and trying to get my career going that I felt like I needed to do more and better in achieving my individual goals. So, I just didn't think much of making a Ryder Cup team until I made one. But then you will never want to give it up again.”
When asked about the possibility of criticism, McIlroy affectionately referred to the Ryder Cup as a «circus.» If so, then he is Europe's ringmaster, able to inspire everyone else on the team as long as he can control his mood swings. Early signs indicate that he will be channeling the most expressive version of himself. When he hit a superb flop shot during practice, demonstrating the mastery of Marco Simone's brutal, deep rough, he immediately launched into the double-fist celebration that has become his trademark.
If McIlroy feels in his element on this stage, it's partly because he loves the simplicity of it all. The Ryder Cup takes him into a world he has long since left, a world where there is no money at stake and no commercial pressure to satisfy. It reintroduces him to the pure love of the game, allowing him to escape into his own world without the endless questions of whether he will ever complete a career grand slam. Having his family around helps too. After all, his wife Erica studied in Rome for nine months.
He could have been forgiven for being mentally scarred by Wisconsin in 2021, where he looked desperate by the end, weighed down both by signs of a two-way miss with his shot and the overwhelming feeling that he had let his teammates down. He feels much more comfortable this time, liberated by Luke Donald's restrained leadership. McIlroy lives near Donald in the West Palm Beach enclave of Florida, and is attracted to the European captain because of his lack of ego and meticulous preparation.
McIlroy is animated here by a powerful desire to give himself credit. This was not always the case in the competition, where he lost as many matches – 12 – as he won. Even though Europe had collapsed and suffered a record defeat two years ago, he still felt obligated to take them ahead in the singles and claim a point, suffering the stinging humiliation of having to miss Saturday's fours for the first time in his Ryder Cup history. career. It was his subsequent victory over Xander Schauffele, which fulfilled the promise that he would not fail again, that explained why he was so rude in his television interview.
He may not have been one of the natural rabble-rousers, but McIlroy thanks Ryder Cup discovered a side of his personality that he never knew existed. “I love being part of this team, that’s what it’s all about,” he said. “Nothing – nothing – compares to this week.”
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