Rory McIlroy: Pain of missing Ryder Cup will hit home with LIV rebels

This is McIlroy’s seventh Ryder Cup. The 34-year-old is the third oldest player on his team. All of this is familiar. So much of it is new

Wed, 27 Sep, 2023 - 10:48

Maurice Brosnan, Rome

A new dawn. 30 years of European dominance at home versus a historic US triumph last time out. Whistling Straits was the one America needed to win. Now Europe and talisman Rory McIlroy must respond.

This is McIlroy’s seventh Ryder Cup. The 34-year-old is the third oldest player on his team. All of this is familiar. So much of it is new.

“I think the guys that we brought in are going to be awesome,” said McIlroy. “Nicolai, Ludwig, Bob. That's the future of our team and the future of the Ryder Cup.

“We came here to Rome a couple of weeks ago for a practice trip and I thought that was incredibly important. Honestly, I couldn't believe that we've never done it before.

“We played a practice round and we got familiar with the golf course but then the sort of time we spent off the course I thought was great. Sharing stories around the fire pit and describing our journeys in golf and what the Ryder Cup means to us.

“Just getting to know one another a little better, even people that I thought that I knew for a long time, getting to know them a little better was wonderful.

“I think Luke and his vice captains have really sort of tapped into that emotional connection around Team Europe this week and we have all bought into it. It has been an amazing experience so far and it is only Wednesday.”

McIlroy found time to laugh at himself this week. In a video produced by the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, he is handed a page with his own words. Speaking before the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales, he explained why he would not be running around fist-pumping.

“It’s not that important to me. It is an exhibition at the end of the day.”

That experience changed him. He smiles at his naivety now. He is desperate to be here and feels the absent LIV players will soon realise what they are missing out on.

“They are going to miss being here more than we're missing them. I'm not saying that… it is just more I think this week is a realisation that the decision that they made has led to not being a part of this week and that is tough.”

And that curly-haired youngster has gone on to win 14 points across six Ryder Cups and become its biggest fan. He knows why he felt that way at the time. He knows how he feels now.

“I took a bit of grief for those comments and rightfully so. But I remember in 2010 in one of the practice rounds, I still had the sort of long, curly hair at that point and a few of the guys on the team came down to the first tee with wigs on and made a joke of it. Yeah, that meant a lot to me.

“I think just early in that week, and look, I said it in that little video piece I did earlier in the week. It is not as if I didn't play team golf before or knew what it was about.

“In 2009, I was just so focused on myself and trying to get my career off the ground that I felt like I had sort of bigger and better things to achieve for my individual goals and stuff like that. I just didn't put any emphasis on making a Ryder Cup Team until you make one. Then you never want to be off one again.

“I love being a part of this team. My most enjoyable moments in my career have been being a part of European Ryder Cup teams. I'm still very, very proud and probably proudest of the things I've done as an individual, but nothing, nothing beats this week.”