Northern Irishman bullish following Ryder Cup weekend in which he and his team exorcised demons of Whistling Straits
Rory McIlroy completed his Ryder Cup redemption mission after securing victory over Team USA in Rome – then warned Europe will end the run of home wins in New York in two years’ time.
Zach Johnson’s visitors arrived in the Italian capital confident of ending their 30-year wait for a victory on foreign soil but despite signs of a fightback in the concluding Sunday singles, were comfortably beaten.
It means that the away side has lost in each of the last five matches – a record in the modern era – since Europe grabbed glory in the Miracle of Medinah of 2012, but McIlroy is convinced that this blue-and-gold outfit will buck that trend in an atmosphere that could be the most febrile yet.
“I’ve said this for the last probably six or seven years to anyone that will listen: I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said. “And that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.”