Rory McIlroy sends warning to golf fans following Ryder Cup debacle

Now the dust has settled on the Ryder Cup, Rory McIlroy has had time to reflect on a turbulent week in New York…

Rory McIlroy has warned that golf is at risk of “ruining centuries of traditions and values” if the powers that be don’t get to grips with the ever-changing face of the sport.

McIlroy and playing partner Shane Lowry were subject to personal abuse at the Ryder Cup, with the Bethpage crowds turning particularly hostile on the Saturday as the European team dominated their opponents in the pairs matches.

And while the crowds eased somewhat on the final day as the US fought back to make the final scoreline a respectable 15-13, McIlroy is frustrated that the shine has been taken off what was just the fifth victory on American soil for the blue and gold charges.

“I’ve been following the narrative coming out of of the Ryder Cup just like everyone else,” McIlroy said ahead of this week’s DP World India Championship, where he will make his first start since leaving New York clutching the Samuel Ryder Trophy.

“But unfortunately, I think it takes away from what we focused on which is what an incredible performance it was by the European team.

“So being able to watch the highlights and just see, especially those first two days, in the foursomes and the fourballs, how great the European team were. The Americans would hit it close, we hit it closer, the Americans hole a putt, and we hole a putt on top of it – and it happened every single time.

“The unfortunate thing is people aren’t remembering that, and they are remembering the week for the wrong reasons. 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.”

That narrative, McIlroy believes, stems from a certain demographic of golf fan that wants to show up, drink the beer, and shout at players, rather than the ones who play the game.

“You don’t want your sport to be unwelcoming to newcomers, I absolutely get that,” the Grand Slam champ explained. “But you also don’t want newcomers coming into the game and ruining centuries of traditions and values of what this game represents or what it up holds, as well.

“There has to be a balance, but I certainly think golf can grow, but it can grow in a way where the people that are coming into the game still respect and acknowledge that this is a little bit different than maybe other sports.

“And I think that’s OK. I say it in America all the time – golf doesn’t need to be the NFL. It doesn’t need to be these other sports. Golf is golf, and that’s fine.

“One great thing about golf is it’s more of a participation sport than other games or sports that are predominately [team based], like, say, American football or basketball. Those are sports that are mostly watched by people, where golf, and in some ways cricket in this country, are games that are played.

“Look, I’d love more people to watch golf. That would be amazing. But I would be more interested in getting more people to play the game, and I think when people play the game, then they learn and they can acknowledge what golf is, what it represents, and the sort of etiquette and the values that you need to adhere to when you play the game.”

Staying on the Ryder Cup, McIlroy was also asked about his own captaincy plans one day.

There was talk in the not-too-distant past, when Ryder Cup Europe’s candidate list was becoming increasingly shorter, that the 36-year-old was going to be asked to consider taking the reins at Adare Manor in two years’ time.

McIlroy laughed off those suggestions. “Hopefully I’m still good enough to play and put points on the board for Europe,” he said, before adding: “Sometime, yes. Certainly not 2027. I hope I’m still playing at that point, but I would love to be the European captain at some point.

“But that will be beyond my playing days, or at least when my playing days are coming to an end and I’m not good enough to make the team, or I make way for the new generation to come along.

“I feel very fortunate that I’ve had a front row seat playing under some of the best captains in history in the Ryder Cup. I think what Luke Donald has done the last two Ryder Cups has revolutionized the captaincy within Europe, and Paul McGinley, in Gleneagles in 2014, was a wonderful captain. I learned a lot from him. And there’s been wonderful captains between them, as well. All of them have been wonderful.

“But I think the time and the effort and the dedication that Luke Donald has put into the last four years, it’s been absolutely amazing. He has 100 percent respect from the entire team and everyone that’s worked for him. If I can be nearly as good as a captain as Luke Donald, I’ll have done a good job.

“So hopefully one day in the future, but I’d say not until the mid-2030s, hopefully, if I can keep playing well.”

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