Rory McIlroy Press Conference | Pre-Event | 2025 Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy’s press conference ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup held at Bethpage Black.

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The 2025 Ryder Cup is the 45th edition and runs between September 25 – September 28. Luke Donald is the European Team Captain and Keegan Bradley is the U.S. Team Captain. The European Team are the reigning champion after winning 16 ½ – 11 ½ at Marco Simone in 2023. Every two years, 24 of the best players from Europe and the United States go head-to-head in match play competition. Drama, tension, incredible golf, camaraderie and sportsmanship are served in equal measure, captivating an audience of millions around the world. It’s an event that transcends sport, yet remains true to the spirit of its founder, Samuel Ryder.

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Right. Rory Mroy is with us now at the 2025 Ryder Cup. Rory, welcome to your eighth Ryder Cup. We’ll go ahead and get started with questions starting right here on Mike 13. Rory, um, winning the winning these things at home is obviously a great experience, but it’s winning a way that makes absolute legends, I guess. What is it about this particular group that gives you confidence that you can do that this week? Uh, you know, the one thing that I’ve talked about a lot going into this RDER Cup is is I love the continuity of this team. I love that um 11 of the 12 are are the same um as we had in Rome and and the 12th has the same DNA as the other one. So, um I we we’ve won before, you know, we’ve you know, I feel like it’s been a really cohesive group for the last three years. Um we all know what to expect. We all know what our rules are within the team. Um and I think that that you know has us prepared to, you know, to give it a really good go this week. you know, like historic or over the past, you know, basically since 2012, you look at the results of the RDER Cup, um the home team has won every time. Um but they also have won convincingly. You know, it’s been pretty one-sided uh either way. So, you know, whatever team, whether that’s Europe or America, that is the one to break that uh that duck, I think is um honestly is going to go down as as one of the best teams in RER Cup history. And, you know, looks at it in his in his opening remarks yesterday, but we are here and we are playing for history and we’re playing for the players that came before us and the, you know, the people that basically laid the foundations for what the European Rder Cup team are. but we’re also playing for the guys that are going to come behind us as well and you know the the young boys that are dreaming of becoming European Rder Cup players. Um you know we want to try to leave a legacy for them as well. So um we we have a wonderful opportunity this week but we also understand it’s going to be very difficult. Claire, hi Rory. Um what advice have you given to the younger guys about not just playing a RDER cup but playing one in the United States? Yeah, look, I think everyone has to find their own balance of what works for them or what um you know, we’re playing in an environment that we’re not really used to or we don’t get to play in very often. Um I’m very lucky. I get a lot of support pretty much everywhere I go when I play golf and um it’s going to feel a little different for me this week. Um, but that’s that’s to be expected and that’s totally understandable. And um, I feel at times in the RDER Cup I’ve engaged too much with that, too much with the crowd, but then there’s times where I haven’t engaged enough. So, it’s really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to to fuel your performance. Um, I felt like at Hazeline I probably engaged too much at times and then in Whistling Straits I didn’t engage enough and felt pretty flat because of it. So, it’s just trying to find trying to find that balance. And I, you know, I can’t tell anyone on the team what that balance is. They really have to find it themselves. Um, but that’s the that’s the challenge of playing away, right? It’s it’s you’re not just trying to perform to your best level, but you know, the you know, someone in the American team holds a putt and then you have to try to follow them in, but you know, you’ve got the crowd going crazy and you’re waiting for them to quiet. You know, there’s a lot of little things like that that um I guess takes you out of your normal routine that you just have to deal with. And you know, that’s part of the challenge of this week. Up to Mike 10. Hi Rory. Uh would you say that from the moment Ricky and Tommy shook hands in Rome two years ago that this even more so than the Masters perhaps has been the singular focus for you? Ah, I you know I think when you get swept up in Ryder Cup week, it’s easy to say that, but you know I I’m still I still want to play well for myself and um I’ve always said I’m I’m proudest of my individual achievements in the game. Um but the most memorable moments and the most fun I’ve had in my career have been at Ryder Cups. So, they’re a little bit different, but I do think that, as I said, winning winning another away Rder Cup, just considering how hard that has been over the past 12 years, um, you know, it it would be one of the greatest accomplishments of my career for sure. Just a super quick second question. Nice to be back in the Madina Saturday Pink today. Yeah, it is. It’s nice. Um, it is. It’s uh Yeah, it’s nice. Dan in the middle here. Over here. What were your impressions as a kid of America growing up? And then now having lived here for so long, how is it similar or different to to what you thought it would be like? Everyone wanted to make it in America. It’s the land of opportunity. I still believe it’s the greatest country in the world. And if you come here and you work hard and you dedicate yourself, you can you can be or do whatever you want. Um I am unbelievably grateful and and lucky that I got to come to America early on and um I think success is celebrated here. Um I think there’s a there’s a wonderful sense of work ethic. Um, and yeah, as you know, I I live here, my wife is American, my daughter is American, you know, I have a lot of affinity towards this country and um, and I think everyone that lives here should have that same affinity because it is it’s a wonderful it is a wonderful place. Up to 20. Hey Rory, um, everyone loves the rivalries of the Riley Cup. Bryson said he’s going to be chirping in your ear. You said that he only says your name to get attention. Is this is this early mind games? Have you got a message back for him or Team USA? I promised, Luke, I would only talk about the European team today. I’m gonna stick to it. Uh, no. Look, I think again, it’s so easy to play into narratives this week and to get swept up in this whole, you know, rivalries and Ryder Cup and whatever it is. Um, all I want to do is go and try and put bluepoints on the board. I don’t care who it’s against. If I come up against Bryson at some point, that’s that’s great. Um, I think that’s wonderful for the championship and wonderful for for us as well in some ways, but you know, I I just want to go out there and put blue points on the board and and and do what I can for the European team. Right here, Bob. Rory, can you recall your first RDER Cup 2010? Was there a moment where it struck you, this is different, this is, you know, this is special? what whatever it might have been maybe a match or even team room type of thing that kind of got you thinking this is this is going to be something I really want to be want to embrace. Yeah, I think it’s more the the behind thescenes stuff um the team room, the team talks, how much I think for me going in as a complete rookie and like I look I I watched Ryder Cups growing up. I cried whenever America won at Brookline. like it’s not as if I didn’t feel something when I watched Ryder Cups. Um, but I don’t know. I just I I I got into that team room at Celtic Matter and I just saw how much it meant to everyone and I sort of started I was like maybe I got this wrong and you know, you start to you start to see how much it Yeah. especially, you know, for Europeans. And I remember Sebie was sick and we had him on, you know, one of those conference call things like back in the day and uh he’s speaking to the team and we’re all in the team room. This is on like the Wednesday or Thursday night, you know, and I look around and the majority of the team is crying as as Sevy is talking to us. And I’m like, that is That’s it. That’s the embodiment of what the European Rder Cup team is. And I think that was the moment. That conference call with Sebie in 2010 was was the moment for me. In the middle here, Mike 12. Rory, the fans helped make this event what it is. How do you feel when you hear the football style chanting? And do you have a favorite song? Um, it’s it’s it’s amazing. And I think as well growing up as a fan of football and going to United games and hearing those songs and then having those songs, you know, having the tune the same but the lyrics changed into something that um, you know, has something to do with you. Like, you know, as a boy, I dreamt of playing at Old Trafford and having those songs sung about me. Um, I just didn’t know they’d be sang to me on a golf course. So, um, they’re very creative. They’re amazing. You obviously don’t you we won’t hear it as much this week. Um but it is it’s it’s still amazing to you know I think the last rider cup we played at Whistling Straits because it was off the back of co we didn’t have any support really there. You know I feel like we’re we’re at least going to have some this week which is which is going to be nice. Do you have a favorite song? Um not I mean not off the top of my head. Sorry Dylan over here. Rory, you guys have talked about um you know, when you make one of these teams, you feel like you’re going to be on them forever, and then for a lot of guys, it doesn’t end up being true. I think you and Rosie are maybe the only guys that have played more than three this week. How meaningful is that to you? And I guess how surreal is it to be on teams with guys from different generations? Yeah, it is. It’s um you know, Luke Luke talks to us about that a lot. You know, Luke went into the 2012 RDER Cup as the number one player in the world. Um, the leader really of the European team. No one thought that that was going to be his last Ryder Cup as a player. He certainly didn’t think that. Um, so he he talks to us about that all the time about really trying to make the most of this opportunity you have this week. Um, and he he is personification of that. And yeah, it’s look, I I’ve been again so fortunate to have a long career and and to play in a lot of these things and to play against, you know, players from all sorts of different generations. Um, you know, my first singles match was against Stuart Sink in 2010. um you know and I I played Sam Burns last time and I don’t know what the age gap is there but it’s at least 30 years I would say maybe 25 30 years so um it’s cool to have a long career and to be able to you know to span those generations even at breakfast talking to Jose Maria about Celtic Manor and 10 and you know lying around the locker room for two days because we couldn’t get out on the golf course because it was so wet you know just little things like that that you can still share and you can you can reminisce a little bit which is which is cool. Great. Thanks for your time, Rory. We appreciate it. Thank you. To watch another Ryder Cup video, click here and subscribe here.