McIlroy rejuvenated for Ryder Cup after lay-off

RORY McILROY is feeling relaxed, refreshed and ready to go for next week’s Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.

The 21-year-old is enjoying the benefits of time off ahead of his debut for Europe against the USA in Wales, which stars on Friday, October 1.

Having played six weeks out of seven in July and August, it was inevitable McIlroy would suffer the consequences and he duly did, missing the last two tournaments in the FedEx Cup series on the US Tour, which concludes with the Tour Championship at East Lake, Atlanta on Sunday.

“I was just not my normal self the last few weeks in America and I needed a couple of days at home to recharge and refresh the mind and get ready to go for the Ryder Cup,” McIlroy admitted. “Practice has been going great and I definitely feel I’ll be going into the Ryder Cup with my game in better overall shape.

“It certainly was great having last week off. I went to see Manchester United and Rangers in the Champions League on Tuesday, did a bit of work on my short game on Wednesday and didn’t start hard practice until Friday. I’m at my best in these circumstances.”

Having played much of his golf in the US this year, where he shot a final-round of 64 to capture the Quail Hollow Championship, McIlroy knows the quality of the US squad, although he appears quietly confident his Ryder Cup debut will be a winning one.

“I think these are two evenly matched teams,” he said. “We have an advantage in that the match is in Wales and we have home support and if everyone plays as they have this year, then we must have a very good chance. People talk a lot about pressure and the tension in a Ryder Cup but I haven’t experienced that yet. That will be more the case when I get there on Monday. I know I’ll be very nervous over my first tee shot, but once I get that out of the way, all you are thinking about is winning your match.”