Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy acknowledges the gallery on the 18th green during the second round of the Irish Open golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at The K Club in Straffan, Ireland. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)
FILE - Luke Donald, of England, hits from the bunker on the 18th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, file)
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy acknowledges the gallery on the 18th green during the second round of the Irish Open golf tournament, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, at The K Club in Straffan, Ireland. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)
On paper, the European team heading to New York to defend the Ryder Cup could hardly be more similar to the winning lineup two years ago.
Look closer and plenty of things are different.
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have moved to LIV Golf. Bob MacIntyre, a rookie in Rome, is now among the world鈥檚 top 10 players. Viktor Hovland has remodeled his swing. Oh, and Rory McIlroy has .
No wonder, then, that McIlroy cannot wait for next week鈥檚 team practice trip to Bethpage Black 鈥 the venue for the Sept. 26-28 matches in the Ryder Cup 鈥 in a bid to rediscover the bond that brought the European team success in Italy in 2023.
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鈥淚 think getting us all back together and building that up again is going to be really important,鈥 McIlroy said Tuesday, 鈥渂ut I think it will be easy when we all get together.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like nothing鈥檚 ever really changed.鈥
Indeed, for the Europeans, the Ryder Cup buildup starts at the BMW PGA Championship held at Wentworth this week.
Eleven of Luke Donald鈥檚 12-man team will be competing in the event 鈥 Sepp Straka is the only absentee 鈥 and they鈥檒l meet for a dinner on Tuesday evening. The European tour have put the players in the same groups for the opening rounds on Thursday and Friday 鈥 Justin Rose with Tommy Fleetwood; Ludvig 脜berg with Matt Fitzpatrick; Hovland with sole rookie Rasmus H酶jgaard; MacIntrye with Hatton; and McIlroy with Rahm and Shane Lowry.
The 11 players will then fly to New York on Sunday evening after the final round, link up with Straka, and play practice rounds at Bethpage on Monday and Tuesday. After that, in McIlroy鈥檚 words, they will have 鈥渁 bit of fun鈥 together for the rest of the week.
鈥淵ou could make an argument,鈥 McIlroy said, 鈥渢hat the 12 guys that we have going to New York are more accomplished golfers than they were two years ago when most of us were in Rome.鈥
While McIlroy is coming off , on Sunday, the BMW PGA Championship will be Fleetwood’s first tournament since 鈥 his maiden title on the PGA Tour 鈥 and $10 million as the FedEx Cup champion.
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That’s at the back of his mind now, though.
鈥淲e are, like, firmly in Ryder Cup season and there鈥檚 Ryder Cup all over the TV and I love that,鈥 the Englishman said. “I love watching that stuff. I love being part of the process now, that is like the team is set and the Ryder Cup is coming up.
鈥淚 think Sunday and next week, the practice days are a huge part of it ... getting the juices flowing and getting together, it鈥檚 the best feeling.鈥
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