Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm are ready to shift their focus to Team Europe’s cause after failing to add to their Major tallies at last week’s Open.
The pair’s form will prove pivotal to Europe’s chances of avenging a record loss to the USA when the Ryder Cup was last played at Whistling Straits but both have been superb for the most part in 2023 as the outlook improves for the men in blue with each passing week.
“Confidence is high, I’m playing well, obviously off the back of the win last week, another solid performance here,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “I want to try to be right in there and win another FedExCup, there’s another race to Dubai to win, and obviously the Ryder Cup, which is the most important of them all.
“After what happened at Whistling Straits, personally for me, and then for the rest of the team, I don’t think we could more be more motivated to go to Rome and get that Ryder Cup back. A lot of golf to play individually and until then, but I think a lot of our attentions will turn to Rome after this.”
Fresh faces will be a hallmark of Captain Luke Donald’s European team after many of Europe’s old guard made the move to LIV Golf since the last staging of the famous biennial contest.
Rahm was superb last time out in Wisconsin and has been further encouraged by the winning form of a number of up-and-coming Europeans as the Ryder Cup in Rome edges ever closer.
“It has been a good year for the Europeans, but what you do during the year doesn’t really matter when you go to the Ryder Cup,” Rahm said. “It’s 18-hole matches. It’s about showing up that day.
“That’s why I think Europe has done a really good job in the past. We always hear about the accolades the American team always has, and they still do, and on paper they should be better, but it’s all about what you do against the man in front of you that day.
“Still very positive that you have so many of us playing good golf and up there on the leaderboards. I know we’re going to have a lot of new faces on the team and everybody wants to rectify what happened two years ago.
“With Luke’s guidance, we’re going to have a really strong team, and I’m looking forward to it, and we should have a really good chance of getting that Cup back and defending home turf.”
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