Rory McIlroy harnessing pain of Whistling Straits in search of Ryder Cup revenge
Rory McIlroy insists he is determined to harness the pain of Europe’s record defeat at Whistling Straits to regain the Ryder Cup next month in Rome.
World No2 McIlroy is one of three European players to have guaranteed their place at the biennial contest against the USA, along with Masters winner Jon Rahm and new FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland. All were on the wrong end of a 19-9 hiding two years ago.
“There’s a lot of us that were in that team at Whistling Straits and that didn’t feel very nice, didn’t feel good,” he said.
“So I’m excited to get back over to Europe. We’re all making our way over to Europe a couple of weeks early. It will be nice to all get together, get some early team dinners before the week in Rome and really feel like that sort of team chemistry is starting already.
“We’re all, for the most part, playing really good. There’s still a few weeks to go, but it’s the next big thing in all of our calendars.”
McIlroy played down concerns over a back injury after closing the Tour Championship with a 65 to finish on 14 under par, 13 strikes behind Hovland, on Sunday.
The Norwegian’s second win in as many weeks earned him a first FedEx Cup and a £14m payday, as well as impressing European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.
“I walked 3 matches with Viktor at the last Ryder Cup,” Donald wrote on social media. “He was great tee to green but his short game and putting let him down.
“He told me he wasn’t clutch enough. Well he’s about as clutch as they come now. What a year, what a finish, what a guy!”
US captain Zach Johnson is set to name his six wild card picks and finalise his 12-man line-up on Tuesday.
Donald will announce his team after the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in mid-September, less than two weeks before the Ryder Cup.