Rory McIlroy has clearly been trying to get under the skin of Keegan Bradley and his US Ryder Cup team.
This one is going to have some real bite to it, isn’t it?
Bradley has been putting everything into making sure that his US Ryder Cup team are as prepared as they can be for the showdown with the Europeans at Bethpage Black.
Meanwhile, McIlroy is expected to be the leading talisman for Luke Donald‘s team when they come face-to-face with the United States in just over two-weeks’ time.
Tension is already building ahead of the huge clash at the end of the month.
Bradley said he has shown his Ryder Cup team the clip of McIlroy saying that Europe WILL win at Bethpage.
The New York crowd will ensure that Bethpage will be an absolute bear-pit for the visiting European team.
McIlroy and his teammates had better be prepared for a raucous atmosphere in New York later this month.
Keegan Bradley says if Rory McIlroy’s comments have put pressure on the US team
Bradley addressed the media in Napa on Wednesday ahead of the Procore Championship, which starts on Thursday.
The 39-year-old responded when asked if McIlroy suggesting that Europe will win at Bethpage has actually put more pressure on his players.
Bradley said: “To be honest with you, I really don’t care what they’re doing, I really don’t care what team Europe does. All I know is that they have — you know, when I look at their team I see maybe the best European Ryder Cup team ever. They’re really deep top to bottom.
“They’ve got major champions, Rory’s playing, having an historical year. But I really, I don’t care what Europe is doing, I only care about our 12 guys, our caddies, the wives. I only care about what we’re doing.
“They’re a confident group, they should be. They won the last Ryder Cup, their team is solid. Luke Donald is maybe the best captain ever, somebody that I’ve always looked up to. So they should be confident but I’m not really — I really don’t care what they say about us, I only care about our team.
“It’s great, it’s fun. I think the Ryder Cup brings out a lot of emotion in people and I think that’s great for our sport. I love it, I love everything about the Ryder Cup. It’s just the passion, you know? Like Rory cares about the Ryder Cup just as much as he cares about winning the Masters or winning a major, which is the way it should be, it’s awesome.“
The US Ryder Cup captain and his players seem to be incredibly motivated for the challenge that lies ahead and McIlroy’s comments will only serve to fire them up more.
What Rory McIlroy actually said just after the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome
Europe dominated the United States in Rome two years ago, running out as comfortable 16.5-11.5 winners in the end.
And as the celebrations began in Rome, McIlroy made an incredibly bold statement – one that has ensured he will attract special attention from the New York crowd.
He said: “I’ve said this for probably six or seven years to anyone who will listen, I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf is winning an away Ryder Cup and that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.“
McIlroy may well regret those comments now, even if he genuinely believes what he said.
The Northern Irishman has just made things really complicated for his team, and piled extra pressure on the European players’ shoulders, unnecessarily so.
Bradley and the 12 US Ryder Cup players must be absolutely loving the fact that McIlroy said what he said.
Whether he can back up those comments at Bethpage remains to be seen, though.
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