Rory McIlroy has issued a warning to his European Ryder Cup team-mates about how to tackle a partisan American crowd during a “different” experience at Bethpage Black.
McIlroy makes an eighth consecutive appearance for Team Europe this week at Bethpage Black, where Luke Donald’s side are looking to regain the trophy after their impressive 2023 success in Rome.
The 36-year-old faced a hostile environment during the 2016 defeat at Hazeltine and was reduced to tears after the record-breaking loss at Whistling Straits in 2021, with McIlroy receiving the loudest of boos directed at European players during this year’s opening ceremony.
Rory McIlroy was given a frosty reception at the Ryder Cup opening ceremony
McIlroy is likely to receive a vociferous atmosphere from a passionate New York crowd this week, something he is ready to embrace after learning from his past experiences of playing in away Ryder Cups.
“I think everyone has to find their own balance of what works for them,” McIlroy said in his press conference. “We’re playing in an environment that we are not really used to or we don’t get to play in very often.
“I’m very lucky, I get a lot of support pretty much everywhere I go when I play golf. It’s going to feel a little different for me this week, but that’s to be expected and that’s totally understandable.”
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McIlroy added: “I feel at times in the Ryder Cup, I have engaged too much with the crowd. But then there’s times where I haven’t engaged enough. It’s really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance.
“I felt like at Hazeltine [2016] that I probably engaged too much at times, then at Whistling Straits [2021] I didn’t engage enough and felt pretty flat because of it. It’s just trying to find that balance.
“I can’t tell anyone on the team what that balance is – they really have to find it themselves. But that’s the challenge of playing away, right? You’re not just trying to perform to your best level.
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“Someone in the American Team holes a putt, and then you have to try to follow them in. You’ve got the crowd going crazy and you’re waiting for them to quiet. There’s a lot of little things like that that takes you out of your normal routine.”
McIlroy and Justin Rose are the only two members of this year’s European team part of the 2012 ‘Miracle at Medinah’, the last Ryder Cup away win for either team, with The Masters champion looking to cap off an impressive campaign with a historic success in New York.
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“I’ve always said I’m proudest of my individual achievements in the game, but the most memorable moments and the most fun I’ve had in my career have been at Ryder Cup,” McIlroy explained.
“I do think that, as I said, winning another away Ryder Cup, just considering how hard that has been over the past 12 years, would be one of the greatest accomplishments of my career for sure.
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“Basically since 2012, you look at the results of the Ryder Cup, the home team has won every time and they also have won convincingly – it’s been pretty one-sided either way.
“Whatever team – whether that’s Europe or America – that is the one to break that duck, I think honestly is going to go down as one of the best teams in Ryder Cup history.
Butch Harmon says Europe have the edge in experience at this year’s Ryder Cup but that the away side will have to deal with a raucous New York crowd
“Luke said it in his opening remarks yesterday [Wednesday], but we are here and we are playing for history and we’re playing for the players that came before us and the people that basically laid the foundations for what the European Ryder Cup Team are.
“We are also playing for the guys that are going to come behind us as well, the young boys that are dreaming of becoming European Ryder Cup players. We want to try to leave a legacy for them as well.
“We have a wonderful opportunity this week but we also understand it’s going to be very difficult.”
Team Europe captain Luke Donald gives you a guided tour of the facilities that he’s helped prepare for his team at Bethpage ahead of the Ryder Cup
When is the Ryder Cup live on Sky Sports?
There will be extended live coverage from every day of Ryder Cup week, where Team Europe look to regain the trophy with a historic away win in the United States.
Round-the-clock coverage of the opening day’s play will begin with live build-up from 9am on Friday, ahead of full coverage from midday and the opening tee shot at 12.10pm. Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
