Rory McIlroy embraces villain role, delivers vintage performance at Ryder Cup

It all came down to Rory McIlroy, because, well, of course it did. 

The polarizing golfer, ranked No. 2 in the world, further entrenched himself as the villain of this road Ryder Cup for Team Europe when he predicted a win at Bethpage as soon as Rome ended. He embraced that role during Friday’s sessions, as fist-pumps blended with roars on some holes before eventually boiling over when he flipped off fans at one hole during four-ball. 

And for the most part, outside of two major misses in clutch moments, McIlroy delivered. He won a third consecutive match with Tommy Fleetwood in foursomes dating back to 2023. But on the final putt of the final match of the afternoon, McIlroy missed for birdie that would’ve won it for Europe, flipped his club into the air and settled for a tie as the Europeans took a 5 ½-2 ½ lead into Saturday. 

“Obviously right now, disappointed I didn’t hole out for a full point,” McIlroy said following the afternoon session. “But it’s been a great day for Europe. We have come out of the gates really strong like we wanted to.” 

This was vintage McIlroy.

There was still plenty of emotion present at the start of his eighth Ryder Cup. There was still plenty of skill, too. And after moving to 6-1-0 across his last seven Ryder Cup matches, this has become the best stretch in the event of his career, according to the Elias Sports Bureau — directly following five consecutive losses between 2018-21. 

McIlroy had looked forward to reuniting with Fleetwood since their final putt in Rome, he said. The pairing allows him to play with freedom. To trust his own shots and his own strategy because he knows Fleetwood can back him up. And they needed just 14 holes to dispose of Collin Morikawa and Harris English in a 5&4 win. 

“You can play a little tentative with the way the format is,” McIlroy said after the morning session, “but again, knowing I have this man beside me, to bail me out if I do hit a bad shot, that’s very comforting to know.” 

Still, moments materialized on the back nine of his four-ball match that made some of his earlier play for naught. McIlroy and Shane Lowry were two-up with seven holes to play, but at the 13th hole, McIlroy’s putt spun around the cup before settling on the green — allowing Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay to even their match. Then, his final putt four holes later veered just left and away from the hole. 

But on a day when Team USA star Scottie Scheffler struggled, McIlroy rose to the occasion. He thrived in the spotlight. He looked like the golfer who could carry the Europeans in all five sessions if needed. Until Europe pulls away and quashes any attempt of an American comeback, though, the lost half-point — and the two putts he missed that directly led to that result — will loom.