Rory McIlroy insists he is ready to lead from the front by turning up first and “getting blue on the board” at the Ryder Cup.
An emotional McIlroy broke down in tears after the record 19-9 thrashing at Whistling Straits in 2021, when he admitted his emotions got the better of him, but the four-time Major winner and World No.2 is determined to reverse the result in Rome, after 10 consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour and a closing 65 at the BMW PGA Championship last weekend.
McIlroy says he knows what skipper Luke Donald expects of him at Marco Simone in Rome as the Americans bid to win away in Europe for the first time since 1993.
The 34-year-old, who infamously nearly missed his tee-off time at the Miracle in Medinah, said: “Luke doesn’t expect me to stand up there and make big speeches or say a lot of things.
“As Luke said, I can lead with my clubs, making birdies and getting blue on the board. If I can lead by example and be the first one to the team room if there is a meeting, first one on the bus on the way to the course. Anything like that where I’m still doing all the things that you should do and not getting complacent, that’s the way I would like to lead.”
McIlroy is preparing to make his seventh Ryder Cup appearance, having helped Europe win the trophy on four occasions. He is fully behind captain Donald, who took the captaincy from Henrik Stenson after the Swede was sacked following his move to LIV Golf.
“I think he’s been fantastic,” added McIlroy. “He took the job in very weird circumstances I guess, but he’s taken it in his stride and he’s been fantastic with me.
“I’m sure he’s had a lot more interaction with some of the rookies and the new guys that are on the team. I feel at this point I can take care of myself a little bit. But if you speak to everyone we’ve all been really pleased with the job him and all of his team have done so far. It’s been great.”
