Even my American fiancee is in our corner this week!
Main man McIlroy can guide Europe to shock away win
‘It would be all the sweeter to beat them in their backyard’
WHERE better for Rory McIlroy to get in the mood for this week’s momentous Ryder Cup than a trip back to Medinah to relive some of the memories of the last time the contest was played on American soil?
Europe’s leading man was there for a charity day last Monday and a smile kept returning to his face as he thought back to 2012, his last-minute dash to the course for his singles match and the miracle that unfolded thereafter on that sacred Sunday afternoon in Chicago; of meeting a lovely lady from upstate New York called Erica Stoll, who was working for the PGA of America and who will become his wife next year.
‘ Medinah wil always be a special place for me both professionally and personally and it all came flooding back returning there for the first time,’ he said. ‘I’ve been lucky enough to be on three winning teams in my three Ryder Cups but there’s nothing like winning on American soil. For me, there is just way more satisfaction.
‘Obviously it is great to win at home where you’re playing with a 13th man with the crowd, but here in America it is very tough and that’s where the satisfaction comes when you pull it off.
‘As for Erica, it is funny how everything worked out for the best. I am so happy. She was working at Medinah so this time she’s going to see it from the other side.’
Who will she be rooting for? ‘I’ll let you into a secret — she was rooting for Europe last time,’ said McIlroy. ‘ The PGA did a poll at the end of each day asking who were nicer to the staff and every day it was Europe, Europe, Europe. So Erica and her co-workers were secretly European fans. Now, of course, she’s officially a Europe fan. She’s got all the team uniforms, the works. It is a big deal and she is looking forward to it.’
McIlroy’s Ryder Cup career got off to an inauspicious start when he dismissed the contest as ‘ an exhibition’ in 2009. A year later he changed his mind after revelling in the atmosphere at Celtic Manor as the crowd serenaded G-Mac and Little Mac. At Gleneagles in 2014 he led from the front to demolish Rickie Fowler in the singles but this time there’s an even greater responsibility on his shoul- ders, with six rookies in the Europe team. Accordingly, behind the scenes at the Tour Championship last week, he fielded plenty of phone calls from his native Northern Ireland as captain Darren Clarke bounced id ideas off his No 1. ‘ For me, playing under Darren is going to be huge, aand almost nostalgic in a way,’ said McIlroy. ‘I think I was 10 years old when I first met him. Now look at us, with me a Ryder Cup player and Darren the captain I am playing under. ‘ I think Gleneagles last time was the first one where I truly felt comfortable with my position in the team and what I needed to do. Even the one at Medinah I was still a bit tentative and basically trying not to lose rather than go out and try to win. I was 23 and No 1 in the world but I still didn’t feel I was a veteran or someone who could raise their hand and say something in the team room.
‘Now I know my opinion is a lot more valuable than it was, and I know that I am likely to play all five matches. I’m ready to embrace that responsibility.
‘Gleneagles might have been the first Ryder Cup where I played like I know I can play. I know that is how I am going to have to play at Hazeltine and I’m comfortable with that.’
It says everything about McIlroy’s rapid elevation to the top of the game that four of the six rook- ies he will try to shepherd this week are actually older than him, including the one he is likely to partner in fourballs, Andy Sullivan.
The pair first met at the Dubai Desert Classic 18 months ago and formed an instant bond. They
e‘ have played plenty of practice rounds together at majors and McIlroy has told Clarkeu he would welcome such a partnership. In the foursomes on Friday morning, he will almost certainly play with Sergio Garcia.
‘I’ve spent a lot of time with Andy and I think he will get on just fine at Hazeltine,’ said McIlroy.
‘One of the things I’m looking forward to most at Hazeltine is getting to know the rookies. One of the nice things about a Ryder Cup is you come out of them feeling you know people a lot better, and not just them but their significant others as well. I haven’t spent much time with Chris Wood or Matt Fitzpatrick or Rafa CabreraBello or Thomas Pieters. I know them but I don’t really know them so it will be nice to change that.
‘I think the thing with rookies, and this particularly applies in away matches, I am not sure how many will play that first morning. It will be good for them to soak it all in, the wow element of it all and then play in the afternoon so at least they have some idea what it’s like.’
McIlroy is all too aware of how badly the Americans want to end their horrific run of just one victory this century. He heard US skipper Davis Love declare on Friday that his team was ‘maybe the finest ever assembled’.
He thinks there’s an opening here that Europe can exploit.
‘We can see how important this is to them and they’re obviously very talented players,’ he said. ‘But there’s a lot of guys in that team who have never had a winning Ryder Cup experience and we have. It’s up to us to go there and upset the odds and it would make it all the sweeter to beat them in their own backyard because we know they’re so up for it.
‘As I say, there’s nothing like winning in America.’