And reveals that we could see some surprise pairings
Sunday 21 September 2014 15:49, UK
A win for the European Ryder Cup team would be the icing on the cake for a fantastic year, says Rory McIlroy.
The World No 1 joined Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara on this week's Goals on Sunday to look ahead to the start of the Ryder Cup and chat about supporting Manchester United.
McIlroy, who has won the US PGA and Open Championship this season, will be an integral part of Paul McGinley's Team Europe side and the Northern Irishman confessed that a third Ryder Cup win would be a perfect way to end his most successful season to date.
"Personally for me it would just be the icing on the cake for what’s already been a fantastic year," said McIlroy.
"Everyone gets so excited about the Ryder Cup and it feels like everyone involved is so passionate about it. Even the public get more passionate about it than majors or individual tournaments.
"I’ve been a part of two winning European teams and would love to make that a third this week."
Team Mates
Much has been analysed of the importance of cohesive individuals in a Ryder Cup team and Team Europe head into the competition at Gleneagles hot favourites to retain their title won in 2012 at Medinah. When asked who he'd like to play alongside in the fourball and foursomes matches, McIlroy revealed that we may be surprised by some of the pairings we see.
“I’m very lucky that I get on very well with a lot of the guys," added the 25-year-old. "Graeme McDowell is a big friend of mine and Poults (Ian Poulter) I’ve played with before, Sergio Garcia is another one and we’ve got good chemistry.
"There’s a few guys that I can play with but you might see a few interesting pairings next week. I’m not trying to give too much away.
"There’s a few obvious ones but because of the mix we have in the team – there’s some rookies, some experienced guys – I think we’ve got a good mix of guys and I think the pairings we are going to have are going to be very, very strong."
Responsibility
"If you play bad in the Ryder Cup it’s not just you it’s your 11 teammates [you let down], your captain, your vice-captain – it’s everyone involved. That’s a big responsibility especially in the position I’m in now being world No 1.
“I’m going to have to be one of the leaders and will be expected to lead by example. That’s a big responsibility but that’s one that I want to try and handle and try and get a few points on the board early for the team.
"It’s way better to win as part of a team. The best experiences in my golf career have been the Ryder Cup and being able to celebrate with all of these guys [Team Europe], that’s something we don’t get to do every week."
Make sure you catch exclusive coverage of all three days of the 2014 Ryder Cup - Sep 26-28 - on Sky Sports' dedicated Ryder Cup channel and via the Sky Sports for iPad app's Ryder Cup Match Centre.
