Rory McIlroy names two LIV Golf stars who proved to be Ryder Cup inspiration

Rory McIlroy has made his feelings wide connected LIV Golf successful caller years, but this did not halt the PGA Tour prima from naming 2 of the league's players who helped him animate him astatine the Ryder Cup

Rory McIlroy named LIV Golf stars Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell arsenic 2 of the players who person helped animate him connected the Ryder Cup stage.

McIlroy has announced himself arsenic a mainstay successful the European squad successful caller years, competing astatine each Ryder Cup since making his debut backmost successful 2010. Ahead of his archetypal showing astatine Celtic Manor, the Northern Irishman raised eyebrows, erstwhile playing down the value of the event.

"It's not a immense extremity of mine," McIlroy said of becoming a Ryder Cup subordinate backmost successful 2009. "It's an accumulation astatine the extremity of the day. In the large strategy of things it's not that important of an lawsuit for me."

Over 15 years connected nevertheless it is just to accidental the Northern Irishman's sentiment connected the lawsuit has changed, particularly having been reduced to tears following decision astatine Whistling Straits successful 2021, earlier earning his redemption successful Rome 2 years later. Team Europe's triumph nether Luke Donald will travel backmost into the nationalist oculus implicit the adjacent week, with a behind-the-scenes documentary being released connected December 3 covering the win.

Named 'Una Famiglia' the documentary camera unit provided fly-on-the-wall sum of their triumph astatine Marco Simone, with McIlroy featuring heavily. During the amusement the 35-year-old discusses who has helped him on the mode connected his Ryder Cup duty, highlighting 2010 skipper Darren Clarke, arsenic good arsenic Westwood and McDowell.

"Clarkey, Gmac, Westwood," the four-time large champion told the documentary cameras. "They were decidedly the ones to amended maine connected however large the Ryder Cup was.” McIlroy's three-time teammate Tommy Fleetwood besides had his say, naming 2 much LIV players arsenic his inspiration.

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"For maine Ian Poulter," helium said. Him and Sergio [Garcia].” McIlroy and Fleetwood could soon beryllium reunited with Garcia connected the Ryder Cup stage, after the Spaniard re-joined the DP World Tour for the 2025 play having antecedently discontinue for being sanctioned for competing successful LIV events.

Alongside the likes of Poulter and Westwood, Garcia resigned his DP World Tour membership successful 2023, having reportedly tallied up a good measure worthy a whopping £1 million. Last week nevertheless it was archetypal reported by Bunkered that Garcia volition beryllium returning to the Wentworth-based circuit alongside 8 implicit LIV players having paid disconnected his fines.

Jon Rahm is 1 of those who has each volition of playing DP World Tour golf successful 2025, having committed to play successful the Hero Dubai Desert Classic successful January. Having played his portion successful the triumph successful Rome, helium excessively features successful the documentary and opened up connected what his LIV determination whitethorn mean for his Ryder Cup future.

"It is just to presume that I whitethorn person disappointed a fewer people, but the idiosyncratic I person been has not changed," Rahm said. "No substance wherever I americium successful the world, nary substance wherever I play golf, the Ryder Cup to maine is inactive the Ryder Cup. You privation to beryllium a portion of it. Water boy, I don’t care. You decidedly privation to beryllium there.”