McIlroy also confidently asserted that the team will successfully defend the cup at Bethpage in New York in two years' time. McIlroy was infuriated by the celebrations of Joe LaCava, Patrick Cantlay's caddie, as he lined up a putt at the end of a match on Saturday evening.

Obviously, I have watched Ryder Cups on TV, I cheered for the European team and played team golf before. "But it's just a completely different environment once you get in there and seeing how much it means to everyone. It's the purest competition in golf. For me, it doesn't get any better than that."

Rory McIlroy begins his seventh consecutive Ryder Cup alongside a new playing partner in Tommy Fleetwood, who won four points during Europe's last home victory at Le Golf National in 2018.

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McIlroy took umbrage with LaCava's proximity and was involved in a fiery exchange later while getting into a courtesy car. He yelled at Justin Thomas' caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay and had to be restrained by teammate Shane Lowry.

“He was the first American I saw after I got out of the locker room, so he was the one that took the brunt of it,” McIlroy said of Mackay. “He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I texted Bones this morning and apologized for that. “I was hot coming out of that yesterday.

European captain Luke Donald was asked about all of this in his press conference as well. He never said outright that McIlroy was yelling about LaCava in the parking lot, but he did say that McIlroy was quite upset about what took place on the 18th green. "Obviously, I was there on 18," said Donald.

The biggest final-day comeback margin? That would be four points. In 1999, the U.S. famously overcame a four-point deficit at the Country Club to shock the Europeans and win 14.5-13.5. The Europeans, of course, returned the favor in 2012.

Top-20 all-time points winners

There have been a total of 1040 individual matches played in the 44 Ryder Cups. Of these the United States has won 501, Europe (including Great Britain/Great Britain and Ireland up to 1977) has won 396 with 143 matches halved. Thus the United States have scored a total of 572½ points to Europe's 467½.

Most pro golfers hire professionals to fly their jets Many other top golfers like Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy, and Sergio Garcia own private jets but hire a crew to fly them.

McIlroy became a brand ambassador of athletic apparel company Nike in 2013 for a reported USD 200 million to USD 250 million over 10 years. Four years later, the deal was renewed for a reported USD 100 million. This new deal is set to end in 2027.