McIlroy was instrumental in leading the Europeans to a decisive 16.5-11.5 victory over the United States last October, playing a key role as one of Luke Donald's senior players. The 2024 season sees the Ryder Cup somewhat recede from the minds of some players, with the event taking place in the years either side.
With that behind him, the Northern Irishman was asked if his Ryder Cup focus was underway, but for McIlroy, that process began when hands were shaken at Marco Simone. "I think once Rickie [Fowler] gave Tommy [Fleetwood] that putt on the 16th with green I started thinking about Bethpage," McIlroy stated.
"Yeah, look, the qualifying started in Europe, and we're all trying to get points on the board early to make sure that we don't have to rely on a pick. I think that's obviously the big thing.", reports the Mirror .
"I think one of the great things that we did leading up to Rome is we basically had -- pretty much had the team set a few months in advance, so hopefully we can do the same thing again and know the 12 that we're bringing to New York pretty early so we can, I guess, think about pairings.
"Think about all of those things that you need to so that once we get there a few weeks out, we're prepared and everyone knows what they're doing."
McIlroy's words will no doubt be a warning to the American setup, who were brushed aside by Donald's team at the 2023 event.
Donald's efforts were rewarded with another term, having been re-given the role to lead Team Europe to New York next September. Whilst last year's win was an impressive one, the trip to the States in 2025 is set to be a whole new test, with the matchplay tournament heavily dominated by the home team in recent times.
Despite this, the confidence is clearly there for McIlroy, who made a bullish prediction in the immediate aftermath of victory at Marco Simone. "I've said this for the last probably six or seven years to anyone that will listen: 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.''
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