Rory McIlroy was recently spotted soaking up the sun at a beach club in Saint-Tropez, where the Masters champion gave the perfect reply to a fan asking about his green jacket.
“It’s on the yacht,” McIlroy replied as captured in a viral video posted by NUCLR Golf on X.
But while his vacation video went viral on social media, McIlroy’s recent interview with David Novak reflected that he certainly hasn’t drifted from the next big battle at Bethpage Black.
The Northern Irishman became the first automatic qualifier for Team Europe, marking his eighth consecutive Ryder Cup.
“I’ve played in seven of them. I really hope I play in seven more. I don’t know if seven is achievable, but it’s the best experience you can have as a professional golfer. It’s amazing,” McIlroy shared on the ‘How Leaders Lead with David Novak’ podcast.
He spoke about the intensity of representing Europe and how being “sort of talisman for the European Team and trying to lead by example and trying to set the tone and … bring the rookies along” makes him absolutely “love that stuff.”
But that was not all. The five-time major winner also showcased his faith in the European team captain, Luke Donald, giving a strong reply to doubters.
Rory McIlroy shows confidence in Luke Donald
Just a few days ago, Ian Poulter publicly warned Team Europe to brace for the sheer volume and intensity awaiting them at Bethpage.
“Luke (Donald) has got a venue in Bethpage Black that is going to be very loud, very raucous. We’ve had numerous events at that location in the past, so they certainly know what they are going to be in for,” Poulter told Sky Sports.
But McIlroy’s string of praise for Donald and his team showcased the solid status of Europe.
“The one thing about Luke was his demeanor, his tone, his whole attitude throughout the week (Ryder Cup 2024) never changed,” McIlroy told Novak during the interview posted on YouTube.
“That’s the sort of, you know, steady … rock-like leadership that … if you’re a team and you’re looking at your captain and he looks like that all the time, that just gives you so much confidence,” he continued to tell Novak as quoted.
“Whether he (Donald) thinks he knows what he’s doing, but he looked like he knew what he was doing, right?”
McIlroy added how the European captain “just had this air of complete confidence and comfort and every time a player looked (at Donald), they just got the sense that, you know, no matter what happens, this guy’s got everything under control. And that is, you know, to have a leader like that is amazing.”
Donald’s calm presence in Rome left a lasting impression last year, and that kind of leadership might be exactly what Europe needs in New York as team Keegan Bradley gears up to bring back the trophy home.
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