ROME — How does Rory McIlroy feel about a Ryder Cup without Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, among others?
“It’s certainly a little strange not having them around,” he said on Wednesday during his pre-Ryder Cup press conference.
Garcia, Poulter and Westwood have been stalwarts of the European side, with Poulter and Garcia the heart and soul of the team. While they likely wouldn’t have qualified for the team or even garnered a captain’s pick given the current state of their games, they likely would have been involved in the backroom as a vice captain or in some capacity had they not defected to LIV Golf and renounced their DP World Tour membership, which made them ineligible for the Ryder Cup team. McIlroy mused the consequences of their decision to jump ship for the riches of LIV would be most apparent this week.
“I think this week of all weeks, it’s going to hit home with them that, you know, they are not here, and I think they are going to miss being here more than we’re missing them,” he said. “It’s just more I think this week is a realization that the decision that they made has led to not being a part of this week, and that’s tough. The landscape in golf is ever-changing and more dynamic, and we’ll see what happens and whether they will be part of it in the future.”
He added: “This is a bit of a transitional period for the European Team and there’s people that have been part of the European Team for a long time that aren’t here this week. But I think the guys that we brought in are going to be awesome. Nicolai (Hojgaard), Ludvig (Aberg), Bob (McIntyre), that’s the future of our team and the future of the Ryder Cup.”
But McIlroy’s Euro teammate, Jon Rahm of Spain, said he reached out to some of the old guard, including Poulter and Garcia, who teamed with Rahm to great effect as one of the few bright spots for the Euros at Whistling Straits in 2021.
“I did have a little bit of a chat with him, and with Poulter, as well,” Rahm said. “Not that it’s going to be easy to take on the role that those two had both on and off the golf course, but just to hear them talk about what they thought and what they felt is obviously invaluable information.”
While the Euro side has lost a great deal of veteran leadership – Graeme McDowell and Henrik Stenson deserve mention too – McIlroy contends the void will be filled and the European scouting trip to Marco Simone before the BMW Championship earlier this month laid the foundation for team unity.
“I couldn’t believe that we’ve never done it before,” McIlroy said. “We played a practice round and we got familiar with the golf course but then the sort of time we spent off the course I thought was great. Just sort of sharing stories around the fire pit and sort of describing our journeys in golf and what the Ryder Cup means to us. Sort of just getting to know one another a little better, even people that I thought that I knew for a long time, sort of getting to know them a little better, too, was wonderful.”
McIlroy also shared what he told the younger players about his role in the team room and mentoring the newcomers.
“I don’t want anyone looking up to me,” he said. “I just want everyone looking at the side. I want them looking over to me. I don’t want them looking up to me in any way. I want them to see me like I’m on their level. And there’s no hierarchy on our team. It’s we are all one part of a 12-man team and we all go forward together. I guess that’s the one message I’ve tried to relay to some of the younger guys on the team.
McIlroy credited Euro captain Luke Donald with setting a proper mood for the team.
“I think Luke and his vice captains have really sort of tapped into that emotional connection around Team Europe this week, and we have all bought into it,” he said. “It’s been an amazing experience so far, and it’s only Wednesday. There’s a lot of great things to come. But couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the team, and to have those other 11 guys be my teammates.”