Rory McIlroy is already looking ahead to 2025.
Rory McIlroy sends stern Ryder Cup warning to Team USA after triumph in Rome
After winning the Ryder Cup in Rome, McIlroy spoke with the media and fired a warning shot to Team USA.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
After Europe won the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, McIlroy made a bold statement about the biennial competition.
“I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said. “And that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.”
Bethpage Black on Long Island, which has hosted multiple major championships, will host the Ryder Cup for the first time in two years.
The last time the Ryder Cup was held on American soil, Team USA won soundly, defeating Europe 19-to-9 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
“I was so disappointed after Whistling Straits. We all were,” McIlroy said.
“And we wanted to come here to Rome this year and redeem ourselves a bit. We’ve got some fresh blood on the team that I think has worked really, really well. I just knew that I needed to putt in a better performance for my teammates this week, and you know, thankfully, I was able to do that.”
The Europeans more than redeemed themselves in Italy, as they embarrassed the Americans on Friday and Saturday morning.
On Saturday afternoon, when the Americans won their first session, things got a little chippy between McIlroy and Joe LaCava, Patrick Cantlay’s caddy. But other than that, the 44th Ryder Cup barely featured much drama, much to European delight.
Now McIlroy and the Europeans have their eyes set on winning the Ryder Cup in 2025, which would mark their first victory on American soil since 2012.
Team USA, meanwhile, has not won in Europe since 1993.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
