London: After what happened at Medinah last time, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that Rory McIlroy was among the first batch of players to show up at Gleneagles on Monday for the Ryder Cup.
Two years ago, it was only because a Chicago policeman went beyond the call of duty that he made it to the first tee at all.
The story of Rory mixing up his time zones and arriving on the premises in a blaze of police sirens before walking out to play Keegan Bradley in a vital singles match without so much as barely a practice swing has, of course, become part of Ryder Cup lore.
What does he think, looking back? Does he still break out in a cold sweat?
“I think I would have relived it a lot more if I hadn’t gone on to win my match,” he told the Daily Mail. “Can you imagine how bad I would have felt if I’d had to forfeit my game? Honestly, even now I don’t want to think about it.
“It’s one of those scenarios where you’re just thankful everything worked out the way it did. I still would have felt really bad if I’d made the tee-time and lost. I was one of the guys at the front, with the team relying on me to get a point and establish some momentum.
“What’s funny is that it was the best I played all week. I kept telling myself, ‘Stay in the match while I get warmed up and calm down’, and yet after six holes I was two up.”
Five years ago, McIlroy’s ambivalence towards the Ryder Cup was documented in one of those fateful expressions that follow a player around. An ‘exhibition’ he called it, with the innocence of a man who had grown up thinking only about majors as the hallmark of a player’s greatness.
When did he change his mind?
“Oh, when I arrived at Celtic Manor for my first one in 2010 and walked into the team room,” he said, smiling. “Then there was the first tee on the first morning with the songs and the atmosphere.
“I couldn’t understand why people made such a big deal of it, or got so excited. I mean, we’re individuals, not team players, and we play for ourselves for the most part. But once you’ve been part of it, you know it’s the ultimate buzz.
“I’ve been lucky enough to finish on the winning side in two really close ones now and it is fantastic to celebrate as a team on that Sunday night.”
McIlroy was right there when everything changed at Medinah, partnering Ian Poulter in that unforgettable four balls match on Saturday, where they birdied the last six holes between them to narrow the deficit to four points (10-6) heading into the singles.
“I think that’s the only time on a golf course where I’ve watched someone and been in awe,” said McIlroy. “Up until those last six holes we had been flat, but we kept encouraging each other. Make a putt somewhere, just quieten the crowd. I guess when I birdied the 13th it was the spark — and then I stepped aside and he did his thing with his five birdies.
“I remember the putts going in clearly at 15 and 16, but the one at 18 ... I thought he’d pushed it, to be honest. Then it curls back into the hole and he gives it those eyes. I was thinking, ‘This guy is unbelievable’.”
Just as he did back then, McIlroy goes into this Ryder Cup as the best player in the world. This time, though, the stakes are higher. He’s on home soil, with everyone of European hue counting on him to build on his wondrous summer filled with majors and other successes, and lead from the front. Happily, the man himself is excited at the prospect.
“I’m ready to be the talisman and drive this team forward,” he said. “I realise I have that responsibility and I am comfortable with it. In my first two I felt out of place offering an opinion, but I appreciate I have a place in the game now that warrants that. I know I can lead this team.”
In his two Ryder Cup appearances to date, McIlroy has played nine matches, with four wins, three losses and two halves. Not bad, by any means, but he agrees we haven’t seen the best of him.
“The best I’ve played was when I turned up 11 minutes before my tee-time,” he joked. “No, I feel like I’ve done OK over the two matches. I got three points out of five at Medinah, so I contributed well enough. But it’s fair to say I haven’t been firing on all cylinders at a Ryder Cup.
“The first one, I was trying not to make mistakes and let the team down, which really isn’t the way I play. Now I know what to expect and hopefully I can kick it back into top gear this week.”
