Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy are both expected to be important parts of the European team for the Ryder Cup later this year.
McIlroy has already qualified for the Ryder Cup through his victories at The Masters, the Players Championship, and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this season.
Rose is unlikely to qualify unless he has a great performance at the Open Championship or in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but he should receive a captain’s pick regardless.
Two months before the biggest event in golf gets underway at Bethpage Black, Rose has revealed what McIlroy is like as a teammate behind the scenes.
Justin Rose says what Rory McIlroy is like to be around at the Ryder Cup
McIlroy and Rose have played together on several Ryder Cup teams and competed against each other in many PGA Tour events.
However, the two have never shared a greater stage than in the playoff hole at The Masters in April, where McIlroy produced an incredible birdie to win the Green Jacket.
After the spectacle at Augusta National, both players’ form dipped, but the pair enjoyed top-10 finishes at the Scottish Open last week.
Rose expects McIlroy and himself to continue playing well in the coming weeks, with a view to the Ryder Cup at Bethpage in September.
Speaking about the event before The Open at Royal Portrush, Rose also revealed what it’s like to be teammates with McIlroy on the European team.
“Obviously I’ve had a bit of a come down off the back of the Masters,” Rose said. “I feel like I’m coming back around to having more energy and focus again. I can see maybe the same for him, too. Yeah, it’s probably coming at a good time.
“Then clearly we’ve got FedExCup Playoffs to look forward to, and then the Ryder Cup is the next big thing on our minds. He pours a lot of his energy and emotion into that as well, leaves it all on the golf course, and he’s a great teammate.
“His standing in the game doesn’t necessarily dominate the team room. Although he is a vocal figure in the team room, he doesn’t necessarily make that presence felt to the detriment of the team in any way, shape, or form. Give him a lot of credit for being a good teammate.”
Justin Rose says whether he was happy for Rory McIlroy at The Masters
Rose had already lost a playoff hole to win The Masters against Sergio Garcia in 2017, so to lose another one to McIlroy this year would have hurt immensely.
Yet, Rose showed great class after the Northern Irishman sank the winning putt by offering a heartfelt congratulations on the 18th green.
He recently explained that he was still able to be happy for McIlroy despite feeling so disappointed with his defeat.
Rose continued: “When you see all the outpouring from Rory, you understand how big the moment is, and you wish that for yourself, obviously, but like I said at the time, I think it wasn’t lost on me what a huge achievement that was for the game of golf, obviously someone achieving the Career Grand Slam, so absolutely.
“I was still able to be happy for Rory in that moment, and it had been a long time coming for him. For how good he is, to kind of have a few chances slip by, maybe even a decade of chances slip by, it was always going to be a matter of time.
“I mean, it’s easy for us to say that, but when you’re the player, you want to kind of get that done and you want to get over the line, and obviously, he had a huge opportunity to get that done.
“What can I say? He hit two amazing shots in the playoff. I’d imagine he felt like he’d have given it away until that point. He probably felt like he shouldn’t even be in a playoff from his point of view.
“So for him to steady himself and to put two great swings on it when it mattered most for him, obviously, when you lose to that, you can kind of walk out with your head held high and give your competitor a lot of props for that type of situation.
“But obviously you’ve got to look inward and understand how is there anything I could have done better in the moment? But really, I hit two great shots into 18 myself, and the outcome was what it was.”
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