Rory McIlroy reckons Ryder Cup will be free of LIV Golf 'noise'

Rory McIlroy reckons the Ryder Cup in Rome later this month will emulate last year’s 150th Open at St Andrews by taking place without any LIV Golf “noise” overshadowing it.

Rory McIlroy shakes hands with Gareth Bale after playing together in the pro-am prior to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

The milestone staging of the Claret Jug event at the home of golf was held at a time when a civil war had just broken out in the game after the launch of the breakaway LIV Golf circuit.

Greg Norman, the circuit’s CEO and commissioner, wasn’t invited by The R&A to take part in a special event involving past champions and was also informed he wouldn’t be welcomed at the champions’ dinner.

However, the week itself took place without any distractions and McIlroy believes it will be exactly the same when the 44th Ryder Cup takes place at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome.

Europe are heading into the contest minus Ryder Cup legends in Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, the initial captain for this match, after they all signed for LIV Golf and, subsequently, resigned as DP World Tour members.

Brooks Koepka, meanwhile, is the only LIV Golf player on the US team after the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed all missed out, but McIlroy is confident that the biennial bout will not be negative in any way.

“Yeah, absolutely,” replied the world No 2, speaking at Wentworth ahead of the BMW PGA Championship starting on Thursday, to being asked if he felt the event’s energy can unites golf fans around the world on 29 September-1 October. “I feel like this Ryder Cup is a bit like the 150th Open at St Andrews last year where all of that noise went away for the four days that we were playing, at least.

“Yeah, there's just some tournaments that in our game that are bigger and more important than all of that stuff and obviously the Ryder Cup is right at the top of the list. At the end of the day, it's about competition and about sport and competing at the highest level, and that's what the Ryder Cup is.”

Meanwhile, Jon Rahm is hoping that Garcia, the record points-scorer in the event but missing out on this occasion due to his decision to join the Saudi-backed start up circuit and then resigning as a DP World Tour member, can be involved in the match again at some point in the future.

“I think it would be really stupid of anybody not to lean on Sergio García's experience in the Ryder Cup,” said Rahm, who teamed up with his fellow Spaniard to good effect at Whistling Straits in 2021. “I mean, he is the best player Europe has ever had, won the most points and has shown it time and time again.

"If he were able to be a vice captain, I absolutely would lean on him. Same as we are going to lean on Ollie [Jose Maria Olazabal, one of Luke Donald’s vice captains] this coming Ryder Cup, right?”