Rory McIlroy helped Europe to a 16.5-11.5 win over his American opponent at Marco Simone, two years after bursting into tears following defeat at Whistling Straits.
“I just can’t wait to get another chance.” Those were the words of a heartbroken Rory McIlroy after Europe’s record Ryder Cup defeat to the Americans in 2021.
Two years later, McIlroy got his chance at redemption on the Ryder Cup stage and made the most of it after helping his team reclaim the title in Rome on Sunday. This was a remarkable turning point for Europeans, who just 24 months earlier had been buoyed by a period of American dominance.
Three days in Wisconsin in 2021 were arguably the darkest in European golf, as Padraig Harrington’s dejected side were swept aside by a successful and in-form American squad, which was increasingly become better.
Heading towards Whistling Strait, the Europeans must be more aware of the uphill battle they face and are counting on the presence of their biggest names to try to compete with their rivals. their main. One of those names was McIlroy but it turned out to be a week to forget for the Northern Irishman.
After losing his first two opening-day matches in Wisconsin, McIlroy was kicked out of practice for the first time in his Ryder Cup career on Saturday. But even after the break, he lost the third set alongside Ian Poulter that afternoon. Going into Sunday’s singles match, Europe’s fate was all but confirmed at 11-5.
The man tasked with leading the away team to the soon-to-be-confirmed United States championship? McIlroy. After two days of struggle, the former world No. 1 finally made his first contribution of the week, defeating Xander Schauffele 3&2 in the first singles match. While it was a relief to finally score a point in the win column, the damage had already been done for McIlroy.
After the match, the Northern Irishman broke down in tears in an emotional interview, telling Sky Sports:
“I love my teammates and I should have done more for them this week.” McIlroy’s guilt over letting his teammates down was exposed, in what could have been the worst moment of his illustrious career.
Unsurprisingly, a return to the Ryder Cup can’t come fast enough for the 34-year-old, who is looking to rewrite his Wisconsin mistakes on home soil. And that opportunity finally presented itself last week, when a rejuvenated McIlroy led a new European Ryder Cup team trying hard for revenge in Rome.
After a blistering start on days one and two, Luke Donald’s team finally completed their remarkable two-year turnaround, something that appeared near-impossible back in 2021. This time around McIlroy did lead from the front, winning four out of five points – the most of any of the 24 players – to accomplish a Roman redemption of his own.
His week of vindication did not come without controversy after he was involved in a heated exchange with two of Team USA’s caddies, Jim Mackay and Joe LaCava, over the latter’s conduct during a tense finish to Saturday evening match with Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark. This only fuelled the already roaring fire within McIlroy though, who importantly got his team on the board early on Sunday with victory over Sam Burns.
Once again McIlroy was put in front of the Sky cameras on the back of his singles win, and like Whistling Straits two years ago he was reduced to tears. This time around though it was for all the right reasons as he moved his team one step closer to getting their hands on the Ryder Cup.
“Ever since Whistling Straits, I was so disappointed with my performance there,” he said green-side. “To come here and get four points for the team, it means a lot to me and hopefully we can just get it done.” Just over an hour later his teammates did exactly that, with his trusty foursomes partner Tommy Fleetwood delivering the all-important winning point for Donald’s team against Rickie Fowler at the 16th.
McIlroy and Team Europe’s Ryder Cup redemption was complete, but ever the winner the four-time major champion’s mindset had already moved to doing the same thing on American soil in two years’ time. To the delight of his teammates, the 32-year-old signed off from Marco Simone by warning with a simple message: “I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup. And that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.” Team USA, you have been warned.
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