Team Europe have just got the biggest boost possible thanks to Rory McIlroy’s Irish Open win

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Rory McIlroy produced the most scintillating of wins at the K Club to win the Irish Open and cap off what has been a memorable year for him.

With the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black at the forefront of most people’s minds, McIlroy’s quest to win the Irish Open went under the radar a touch.

However, that all changed when he found himself just three shy of the leaders after round three. And when he surged to move level at the top down the stretch, the excitement around the course was off the charts.

• READ MORE: Golf fans are already calling for big change at the Irish Open in 2026 with some wanting ‘petition’ to be started

McIlroy, though, still had to deliver and deliver he did. He made a dramatic putt on 18 to salvage an eagle, before standing firm against Joakim Lagergren to win over three playoff holes.

For the Northern Irishman, this is a timely boost given the Ryder Cup being around the corner but crucially for Luke Donald and Team Europe, the boost for them is even bigger.

Team Europe will be delighted by Rory McIlroy’s Irish Open win

Everyone who is part of Team Europe knows how good Rory McIlroy is. His quality and brilliance are there for all to see.

Going into Bethpage, he was already Europe’s talisman and the man Luke Donald was looking to to inspire the rest.

However, having witnessed what’s just happened at the Irish Open, Donald has got everything he wanted and more from the situation.

With McIlroy in the heat of a tense battle all day in a big atmosphere, the conditions were akin to what we are all expecting to see in New York. Yes, McIlroy had the crowd on his side this time but the premise is the same.

Further, with McIlroy going to a playoff, he’s effectively experienced a bit of match-play golf just weeks before that’s what it becomes all about at Bethpage.

For Captain Donald and the rest of Team Europe, that is simply a massive bonus and one which even the most optimistic of Europeans wouldn’t have expected.

• READ MORE: Rory McIlroy says if he’s starting to feel like Scottie Scheffler as he wins again at the Irish Open

Rory McIlroy’s playoff record in 2025 shows he is Europe’s main man

Rory McIlroy was already a superstar in the game of golf but in 2025 he seems to have elevated himself even further.

Winning is hard on the PGA and DP World Tours as it is. But to come through a playoff is even harder work.

McIlroy has found himself involved in three playoffs this year, all in big events and on each occasion, he’s come out on top.

JJ Spaun, Justin Rose, and now Joakim Lagergren have all fallen victim to McIlroy’s brilliance and mental toughness.

Going into New York in a few weeks, those experiences should serve McIlroy and the rest of Team Europe very well indeed.