Rory McIlroy admits previous Ryder Cup stance 'couldn't be further from truth'
Rory McIlroy's Ryder Cup journey has seen him come a long way as he was reminded of his previous comments about the event.
McIlroy is getting ready to take part in what will be his seventh Ryder Cup for Team Europe. The prestigious tournament heads to Italy at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome.
Europe are bidding to regain the trophy named in honour of Samuel Ryder after losing to Team USA back in 2021. Europe lost 19-9 at Whistling Straits in the United States and will be looking to win tback the cup for the first time since 2018 when France hosted the event.
McIlroy has won four out of the six Ryder Cups that he has taken part in, amassing a total of 14 points for Team Europe. And now the Northern Irishman has spoken about his affection for the tournament.
In an interview published on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Team Europe, McIlroy was reminded of his early thoughts. The comments came over a decade ago, more than a year before he had ever taken part in the tournament. and are a far cry from the talismanic performer he has become.
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“It’s not that important an event for me. It’s an exhibition at the end of the day,” said McIlroy at the 2009 Irish Open, a little over a year before he made his Ryder Cup debut in 2010 at Celtic Manor. “Obviously, I’ll try my best for the team but I’m not going to go running around fist-pumping.”
With a smile on his face McIlroy admitted that his stance on the Ryder Cup has significantly changed. The 34-year-old went on to explain why competing in the tournament has given him memories that he will treasure for years to come.
Rory McIlroy will be competing at his seventh Ryder Cup (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)"I said that in my naivety as a young swashbuckling lad,” said McIlroy, in relation to the aforementioned quotes. “I now have been part of the Ryder Cup a lot and what those three quotes are couldn’t be further from the truth.
"It is the purest competition in golf. To me, it doesn’t get any better than that. You can’t replicate that feeling of playing as part of a team and winning and feeling like you’ve contributed in some way, and you've done it for other people not just yourself."
McIlroy was one of six players to automatically qualify for Team Europe, along with Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland, Robert MacIntyre, and Jon Rahm.
They are joined by captain Luke Donald's six picks Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Nicolai Hojgaard, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, and Sepp Straka. The action gets underway with Thursday's Opening Ceremony, with Friday's Foursomes matches in the morning followed by Fourballs in the afternoon.
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