It was the quote heard 'round the golf world.
Rory McIlroy, a golf prodigy who at age 19 won his first DP World Tour title, had long been anointed as the future of the European Ryder Cup Team. But a year-plus ahead of the 2010 Matches at Celtic Manor, McIlroy was asked at the Irish Open about his potential Ryder Cup debut.
His answer sparked quite an uproar.
"It's not a huge goal of mine," McIlroy said then. "It's an exhibition at the end of the day. In the big scheme of things it's not that important of an event for me."
It didn’t take long for McIlroy to realize his poor choice of words. During a practice round for that 2010 Ryder Cup, seven of McIlroy’s teammates arrived on the first tee wearing wigs that matched McIlroy’s long, curly hairdo at the time.
The joke made an impact on the young star, who went on that week to collect two points in a narrow European victory.
“Yeah, that meant a lot to me,” McIlroy said Wednesday at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, site of the 44th Ryder Cup.
“I think in 2009, I was just so focused on myself and trying to get my career off the ground that I felt like I had sort of bigger and better things to achieve for my individual goals and stuff like that that I just didn't put any emphasis on making a Ryder Cup team until you make one, and then you never want to be off one again.”
Now, McIlroy, at age 34, is the elder statesman of Team Europe, making his seventh start in the matches, the most of anyone on this year’s roster. He's been a part of four winning teams and has garnered a 12-12-4 record in the event.
But this edition will be different for McIlroy as the European side is amidst what McIlroy describes as a “transitional period.” For the first time in over two decades, Team Europe’s roster won’t feature any of stalwarts Sergio Garica, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.
"It's certainly a little strange not having them around," McIlroy said.
Instead, Europe will showcase four rookies this year, while Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick will be making their Ryder Cup debuts on home soil. McIlroy, however, doesn't want to necessarily fill the leadership void of the past European Ryder Cup generation. He wants everyone to know they're on equal footing.
"I don't want anyone looking up to me," McIlroy said. "I just want everyone looking at the side. I want them looking over to me. I don't want them looking up to me in any way. I want them to see me like I'm on their level. And there's no hierarchy on our team. We are all one part of a 12-man team and we all go forward together. I guess that's the one message I've tried to relay to some of the younger guys on the team."
He may want to just be one of the guys, but there's no doubting the impact McIlroy, the current world No. 2, can have on and off the course this week. Though, McIlroy is coming off the worst Ryder Cup performance of his career, going 1-3 in Europe's 19-9 loss at Whistling Straits.
That week, he was able to salvage a point with a singles win over Xander Schauffele. And afterward, he gave his post-match interview to NBC while fighting back tears.
It was a far cry from his comments in 2009.
“I don't think there's any greater privilege to be a part of one of these teams, European or American," McIlroy said two years ago. “It's an absolute privilege. I've gotten to do this six times. They have always been my greatest experiences of my career.
“I have never really cried or got emotional over what I've done as an individual. I couldn't give a s---.”
After the 2021 Ryder Cup, McIlroy said he “went back to really trying to be myself and trying to express myself the best way that I can on the golf course.” He’s played scorching golf these past couple years, claiming six wins, including the 2021 CJ Cup right after Whistling Straits, and rising to world No. 1 on multiple occasions.
He hopes that all cumulates into helping Europe win back the Cup come Sunday.
“I certainly feel a lot better about things coming into this Ryder Cup,” McIlroy said, “and feel like I'm more than capable of contributing more than one point this time around.”
Those contributions likely won’t be ending any time soon, either.
"He's a legend of the game and will continue to be a legend of the game," said European teammate Justin Rose, who is nine years older than McIlroy but has played one fewer Ryder Cup. "It's hard to see yourself that way when you're playing, but I think that is his trajectory. I think that he will have a huge role in this team for the next decade plus."
