Most people can remember comments they made earlier in their lives that they regret, and Rory McIlroy is no different.
The 34-year-old is preparing for his seventh Ryder Cup as the Europeans try to win back the trophy they lost to the US two years ago. McIlroy has also been on four winning teams since his maiden appearance in 2010, but before that victory at Celtic Manor, he had a decidedly casual attitude towards the match.
Back in 2009, McIlroy said: “It’s not that important an event for me. It’s an exhibition at the end of the day. Obviously, I’ll try my best for the team but I’m not going to go running around fist pumping.”
With the 2023 edition at Marco Simone in Rome almost upon us, McIlroy has addressed those comments, and admitted his views have changed dramatically. In an official Ryder Cup interview, McIlroy explained: “I said that in my naivete as a young swashbuckling lad. I now have been part of the Ryder Cup a lot and what those three quotes are couldn’t be further from the truth.”
The Ryder Cup means everything 💙@McIlroyRory | #TeamEurope pic.twitter.com/JRiuUh2YonSeptember 24, 2023
McIlroy then explained what makes the Ryder Cup unique to other events. He said: “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 part of the winning team in the 2012 match, dubbed the Miracle at Medinah, when the Europeans completed one of the greatest Ryder Cup comebacks to win by 14.5 points to 13.5 points, and he admitted it produced an emotional response he’s never experienced elsewhere.
He recalled: “I remember that afternoon in Chicago in 2012, the emotions and, like, when you finish your match and you’re watching the others come in – that churn in your stomach of watching other guys trying to get it in. Seeing Martin Kaymer hole that winning putt.
“I didn’t do anything but it was one of the best feelings in the world. Only can you get those moments in Ryder Cups. There’s no other place that we can…
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