It’s no secret that Rory McIlroy loves the Ryder Cup and wears the navy blue and gold of the European flag.
He is also the lifeblood of the team.
After all, he had a commanding 4-1-0 record at Marco Simone last year, giving Europe four points and leading the Americans to a comfortable 16.5-11.5 win in Italy. But an even bigger test awaits Europe next fall when the Ryder Cup returns to the U.S. Bethpage Black, which hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009 and the PGA Championship in 2019, will host the biennial tournament for the first time, and a hostile New York crowd will surely be out in force to root for the red, white and blue.
But on a recent trip to St. Andrews, McIlroy got a little taste of how crowds will behave on Long Island next year: When a drunk American fan recognized McIlroy on the Old Course’s famous 18th hole, he serenaded him with lines like, “New York loves you!” The Secrets of St. Andrews Podcast About X.
“You’re not gonna like us next year!” McIlroy yelled back, surrounded by several hundred spectators to watch the four-time major champion finish his round.
To be sure, the Europeans will arrive on Long Island as underdogs, but they have as strong a chance as ever. Team Europe has won eight of the last 11 Ryder Cups dating back to the early 21st century, including two in the United States. In 2004, captain Bernhard Langer’s European team beat the Americans 18.5-9.5 at Oakland Hills in Detroit and was forced to wear the red, white and blue, even though the home team featured two of the best golfers in the world at the time, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
Eight years later, at Medina Stadium III in Chicago, Team Europe stormed back to defeat the host Americans 14.5-13.5 in Sunday singles, shocking them. Team Europe won eight of the twelve matches and drew one on that fateful Sunday, defending their Cup and celebrating like there was no tomorrow.
The 2012 Ryder Cup was the last time an away team won the tournament; the home team has won every time since, but McIlroy signaled the Ryder Cup is always on his mind when he issued a stern warning to American fans more than a year ago, which should give Americans something to think about.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
