Nailing Ryder Cup spot was McIlroy’s motivation

BIRTHDAY boy Rory McIlroy, still “floating” after his US Tour victory on Sunday, revealed yesterday part of the motivation for his spectacular return to form came from looking at the Ryder Cup table.

On the day he turned 21 McIlroy, now in Florida for The Players Championship starting tomorrow, said: “I was just beginning to think I really need to get the finger out here not to have any late worries.”

Now a near-certainty for a debut at Celtic Manor in October – he is second in the standings behind Lee Westwood – the Irishman decided to put victory and birthday celebrations on ice.

“It’s a huge week. I can party all I want when I get home on Monday,” he added. “I’ll just have a couple of beers tonight with a few friends.”

A female fan gave him a package, neatly wrapped and with a ribbon, on the second hole of his nine-hole practice session, but although it was early morning McIlroy stated that it was not his first present.

“No, I got the first present on Sunday evening – the only present I wanted,” he said, referring to the superb course record 62 which gave him a four-stroke victory in the Quail Hollow Championship.

Close friend Graeme McDowell commented: “I’ve always believed he was a superstar ready to happen.

“He hasn’t been prolific as a pro (it was only his second victory), no doubt about it, but it was only a matter of time and get him on a world-class course against a world-class field and he took them apart.

“It doesn’t surprise me – he’s that good. Watching him play the 18th was pretty emotional for me – it gave me goose bumps when he holed that putt.

“Tiger Woods has probably never played nine holes of golf like Rory’s. He is so far ahead of him in the way he drives the ball – long, very accurate and very aggressive.

“Tiger’s unbelievable from the irons in, but Rory has a real weapon on the tee. A couple of years ago I would have said Tiger’s going to take an awful lot of moving from world number one, but he’s a little less infallible now and Rory’s a phenomenal talent.”

Woods can actually lose top spot this week – not to McIlroy, who currently stands ninth, but to Masters champion Phil Mickelson, Sunday’s runner-up.

For that to happen Mickelson has to win and Woods outside the top five.

McIlroy had a feeling he might be paired with Woods for the first time this week, but although they will tee off at the same time – 1.28pm in Florida, 6.28pm in Ireland – it is on different holes.

Woods is with Ian Poulter and Hunter Mahan on the first, McIlroy with KJ Choi and Bill Haas on the 10th.