Rory McIlroy cried his eyes out at last Ryder Cup as pressure on European star

“I love being part of this team. I love my teammates so much,” said a heartbroken Rory McIlory as he attempted in vain to fight back the tears at Whistling Straits. The Northern Irishman had just won his Ryder Cup Sunday singles match 3&2 against Xander Schauffele, but the thought of celebration was far from his mind. With the USA having headed into the final day with a record 11-5 lead and red all over the board below McIlroy’s result, the writing was on the wall for the European side. Of the remaining 11 singles matches, only Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood – both of whom now ply their trade on the LIV tour – managed to secure victories, with Viktor Hovland Tommy Fleetwood battling for half points. America regained the Ryder Cup 19-9 – the biggest margin of victory in the history of the competition. McIlroy knew what was coming but was now powerless to stop it. Despite beating Schauffele, he had failed three times in the Friday and Saturday sessions and was even made to sit the Saturday morning foursomes out after he was omitted from a Ryder Cup match for the first time in his career. “I should have done more for them this week,” McIlory conceded. “I’m glad I put a point on the board for Europe today, but I just can’t wait to get another shot at this.” Struggling to keep his composure, he added: “It is by far the best experience in golf and I hope little boys and girls watching this today aspire to play in this event or the Solheim Cup because there’s nothing better than being part of the team, especially the bond that we have in Europe. “No matter what happens after this. I’m proud of every single one of those players that played this week. I’m proud of our captain and our vice-captains. It’s been a tough week.” The 2021 Ryder Cup was a miserable experience for Rory McIlroy. (Image: Getty) Although McIlroy has been prone to the occasional implosion throughout his career – his now infamous collapse at The Masters in 2011 when he was chasing his first Major the most memorable – never before had the former world No. 1 shown his vulnerability to the world like he had here. A subsequent interview with American broadcaster CBS was even more dramatic. “I have never really cried or got emotional over what I’ve done as an individual,” McIlroy said. “I couldn’t give a s***. But this team, and what it feels like to be a part of, to see Sergio [Garcia] break records, to see Jon Rahm come into his own this week, to see one of my best friends, Shane Lowry, make his Ryder Cup debut… All that, it’s phenomenal and I’m so happy to be a part of it.” Europe’s defeat at Whistling Straits was a sobering one, to put it mildly, and with an influx of fresh talent blooded in the American team, many have predicted that the Ryder Cup could be now looking at a period of USA dominance. Rory McIlroy beat Xander Schauffele in his Ryder Cup 2021 singles match. (Image: Getty) But no team from across the Atlantic has won on European soil in 30 years – a statistic Zach Johnson will have to change if his 12 players are to break new ground. The USA has more than history to contend with as well. The partisan European crowd is guaranteed to be primed to treat its guests to a hostile reception and with alterations to the Marco Simone course implemented at every turn to favour the Europeans, the Ryder Cup will only return to America if it is truly deserved. But perhaps the biggest challenge for Johnson’s men will be McIlory himself, whose pain in defeat was so evident. It would be no surprise if the current world No. 2 had been working towards this moment solely for the past two years. With its high-octane atmosphere, team spirit and tense drama, there really is nothing else like the Ryder Cup in golf. McIlory feels that in his heart and will move mountains to ensure that his are tears of joy at the end of it.