Rory McIlroy expresses sadness over 'unfortunate' factor that takes away attention from Team Europe's Ryder Cup win

Rory McIlroy is all set to compete in this week's DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club. Before the tournament starts, the Northern Irishman recently had a brief session with the media in New Delhi, India.

Besides sharing his views on playing in India, McIlroy also commented on Team Europe's Ryder Cup win at Bethpage. A few weeks ago, the PGA Tour veteran and his teammates fought through a raucous US crowd. Things got so escalated that the fans' behavior with Rory McIlroy and Team Europe captured the attention of the mainstream media.

Today, McIlroy spoke about the fan behavior at Bethpage and claimed that it acted as a distraction. According to the golfer, it took away the spotlight from Team Europe's performance at Bethpage Black. Rory McIlroy said:

"I think it takes away from... what an incredible performance it was by The European Team..."

McIlroy also labeled this incident 'unfortunate'. Furthermore, the golfer was open about him wanting to shift the narrative from fan behavior. Rory McIlroy said:

"The unfortunate thing is people aren't remembering that... they are remembering the week for the wrong reason. I would like to shift the narrative and focus on how good the European Team were and how proud I was to be part of that team to win an away Ryder Cup."

NUCLR Golf shared a part of McIlroy's statement on X (previously Twitter). Take a look at the post:

Despite the constant yelling that forced Rory McIlroy to pause his game, or the can of beer that ended up hitting his wife, the golfer kept going on. His teammates, Robert MacIntyre and Shane Lowry, who were insulted due to their physical stature, earned some critical points for Team Europe. After three days of play, the world witnessed the Europeans pick a 15 - 13 victory against the USA in their away Ryder Cup.

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Rory McIlroy was confident about Team Europe way before their away Ryder Cup win at Bethpage

Before the biennial contest, the 2025 Masters Champion admitted that winning an away Ryder Cup is still one of the biggest achievements for Team Europe. In the press conference at The K Club, McIlroy also acknowledged how difficult it will be for the Europeans. He said (as quoted by Sky Sports):

"...the Europeans have a wonderful opportunity this year to achieve something very, very special - but it's going to be very difficult... They have a very strong team..."

However, Rory McIlroy was confident regarding the team formed by Captain Luke Donald. The golfer also labeled the players on the team 'right' for the upcoming Ryder Cup.

"I love the team that Luke has assembled. It's a very strong 12 players and I think it's the right 12 players... pretty much every player is more accomplished than two years ago."

It's worth noting that apart from sharing his confidence in the 2025 European Ryder Cup squad, McIlroy made a bold prediction as well. During the 2025 Walker Cup, the golfer from Holywood, Ireland, sent a video to the Team of GB&I. He also requested GB&I to beat Team USA because according to McIlroy, his squad was "going to beat them [USA] at Bethpage".

Edited by Pravashis Biswas