Rory McIlroy praises blend of youth and experience on 2023 Ryder Cup team, updates back injury status
The 2023 European Ryder Cup team is five years younger than it was in 2021 when it got trounced 19-9 at Whistling Straits. While it’s not five times better than it was that time around, it has certainly closed the gap in talent as well as form. Three golfers have won three or more times on either the PGA Tour or European Tour over the last 12 months, and all three will be competing for the European team in Rome.
“I think Europe is very strong this year,” said 2021 captain Padraig Harrington at the Irish Open this week. “I think we’re back — I believe we’re back to the ’80s, the ’70s where our top players are actually the best players in the world. So I think the team is very strong. I think they’re very much in form.”
This checks out.
In addition to the world ranking stat above, Data Golf says that five of the eight best golfers over the last six months are on the European team. That’s a far cry from the way the Euros limped into Whistling Straits. They know it, too, and they’ll open up the event playing like they know it.
Rory McIlroy, one of seven players who played in 2021 and will play again in 2023, agreed with Harrington.
“You look at Viktor [Hovland] end of the season, with what Jon Rahm has has done this year, myself, Tommy Fleetwood back to playing some of the best golf he’s played in a while, Tyrrell, Shane, Rosey.
“I think you’ve got a nice blend of experience and youth in the team.”
“I think we just caught it on our turndown, their upturn,” added Harrington. “That one extra year of COVID. Our team went from peaking to slightly off and never could come back. I said at the end of that Ryder Cup, I said in numerous interviews, many of these players are going to go on to play their best golf going forward, and they have.”
McIlroy is one of those players. He has played, statistically, the two best seasons of his career since that Ryder Cup in Wisconsin. He also acknowledged needing to pull his weight after a poor performance in 2021 where he went 1-3-0 and sat out a session for the first time in his Ryder Cup career.
“I think everyone thinks they could probably be doing more,” said McIlroy. “Yeah, 18 holes, match play, it’s certainly not tossing a coin, but … I’ve had some Ryder Cup matches where I haven’t played very well and I’ve been able to win them, and then I played some great Ryder Cup matches that I’ve ended up losing.
“There’s two different ways of looking at it. I feel over the course of the six Ryder Cups that I’ve played that I made a good contribution to most of the Ryder Cups that I’ve played. I think last year was the first time that I had a losing record in any Ryder Cup that I played. I think even going back to France, Hazeltine, Gleneagles, Medinah, Celtic Manor, I’d won more than I’d lost, which was good.
“I think last year maybe excuses the numbers a little bit, but yeah, I think it’s important to feel like you’re doing your bit for the team. As everyone saw last time, I didn’t feel like I did what I was supposed to, and obviously trying to put that right this year.”
As for whether he will be well enough to “put that right” this year, McIlroy said the back injury he played through at the Tour Championship a few weeks ago is close to better but not all the way.
“I would say it’s at 90%, 95%. It’s not 100% better. I just happened to take care of it a little bit, but it’s not preventing me from doing anything I want to do. Just being a little mindful, I guess.”
He also noted that he’s experienced worse over the course of his career and, “I’ve got really good people around me that know what to do. It’s fine. It’s totally fine.”
The good news for him is that contrary to some previous years, his ailing back will not have the added strain of carrying an entire continent for large stretches at the biennial event. He’ll have help, plenty of it, from all kinds of places.
