Rory McIlroy talks European Ryder Cup team, back health heading into Irish Open

Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour season came to an end last month in Atlanta where he finished solo fourth at the Tour Championship. The week got off to a disappointing start, as he arrived at East Lake with a back injury.

Despite struggling with his health, the Northern Irishman took home a $4 million bonus at the FedEx Cup Playoff finale.

McIlroy finished his campaign with 10 straight top-10 finishes, including a win at the Scottish Open.

He returns to the Horizon Irish Open this week in great form and is back at a golf course he conquered in 2016, The K Club.

Seven years ago, McIlroy beat Bradley Dredge and Russell Knox by three shots for his 13th DP World Tour win.

“It’s been good to get back and sort of try to refamiliarise myself with the golf course,” McIlroy told the media Wednesday in Kildare, Ireland. “A lot’s happened in the last seven years, so I actually struggled to remember quite a few holes when I played this morning, but it’s also started to come back.

“Nice to come back, good memories, and just happy to be here and sort of try to keep up the good play and run that I’ve been on the last couple months.”

Good to be back at @thekclub for the Horizon @IrishOpen_ this week. Brings back a lot of memories of 2016 especially when standing in the fairway on 16😏 pic.twitter.com/z6v931GZXC

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) September 5, 2023

And it sounds like a few weeks off was exactly what the doctor ordered to get his back into a better spot.

“It’s OK,” he said. “I would say it’s at 90 percent, 95 percent. It’s not a hundred percent better. I just happened to take care of it a little bit but it’s not preventing me from doing anything I want to do. Just being a little mindful, I guess.”

Balancing not pushing his body too hard and still trying to win this week will be difficult, especially with the Ryder Cup on the horizon.

As European stalwarts Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are no longer in the picture, McIlroy will serve as the undisputed leader in Rome come Sept. 29th.

You could say he sounds excited about the 12-man squad ready to do battle at the biennial event.

“You look at Viktor end of the season; with what Jon Rahm as has done this year; myself; Tommy Fleetwood back to playing some of the best golf he’s played in a while; Tyrrell; Shane; Rosey.

“I think you’ve got a nice blend of experience and youth in the team,” he said. “I think everyone that everyone who has followed golf over the last few months has known the potential that someone like Ludvig has had. You just have to watch him hit balls on the range at a PGA Tour event. I mean, he’s special, he really is. He’s an unbelievable ball striker.

“I don’t think people maybe from this part of the world recognized it because he’s played all of his golf in college and in the States and then played a lot of PGA Tour stuff. But he came over here and finished fourth in the Czech Republic and won in Switzerland. He proved to a lot of people that he’s worthy of a pick. I honestly think Luke was going to pick him regardless but he obviously his job easier when he won on Sunday.”

But with his eyes still set on The K Club, he reflected on how much his 2016 win meant to not only him, but his family.

“For as long as I can remember since I was a child, the only tournament my Mum ever wanted to see was the Irish Open. So for her to be there and for me to win it, it means a lot to her obviously, and a lot to us as a family.”

Come Sunday, maybe he’ll add another memory for his family to cherish just two-and-a-half hours away from his childhood town of Holywood.