Rory McIlroy of Europe attends a press conference after Team Europe win the 2018 Ryder Cup following singles matches of the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National on September 30, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
Sergio Garcia – gone. Ian Poulter – gone. Lee Westwood – gone.
He might not be the oldest player on the roster – Justin Rose at 43 is – but this is Rory McIlroy’s team.
This will be the seventh time he puts on the Blue and Yellow, and now he has to take the reins.
Across McIlroy’s first six appearances, he’s gone 12-12-4 and 3-2-1 in Sunday singles. Nothing to turn your nose up at, but probably not good enough in his eyes.
The record took a beating two years ago at Whistling Straits, a week that saw McIlroy go 1-3-0 – his only win coming Sunday against Xander Schauffele – and being benched for the first time in his Ryder Cup career as he watched Saturday foursomes from the sidelines.
He gave an emotional interview afterward, letting fans across the globe know what this event means to him.
The difference this time around is he’s coming into the week in fantastic form.
Since tying for 47th at the Wells Fargo Championship in early May, McIlroy has made 12 worldwide starts. He’s finished outside the top 10 once – T-16 at the Irish Open – and added a stellar come-from-behind win at the Scottish Open.
Rome is the perfect opportunity for McIlroy to put the world on notice.
And if he needed any more extra motivation, U.S. team member Wyndham Clark gave him serious bulletin board material.
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