Rory McIlroy delivered a bold message of belief and determination ahead of one of golf’s biggest stages, leaving no doubt about his confidence in Europe

Team Europe Ryder Cup team includes Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, and Tommy Fleetwood(Image: Getty)

Rory McIlroy delivered a striking message to the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup squad, and not just to motivate those young amateurs.

He reminded them of what’s possible at the Ryder Cup, as one LIV Golf star taking a different route after being snubbed from Team Europe, and offered a crystal-clear challenge: “Please beat them because I know we’re going to beat them at Bethpage.” This wasn’t just encouragement — it was a promise, one rooted in McIlroy’s own journey from Walker Cup disappointment to Ryder Cup glory.

After raising eyebrows with comments about the “necessity” of the win earlier this week, McIlroy’s message came in a video for the GB&I team just before their showdown at Cypress Point. he shared something personal.

“As someone who played a Walker Cup and wasn’t able to quite get it done, and then to go on to play Ryder Cups and be able to beat the Yanks in their own backyard, nothing feels better.”

His words carried weight, not just because of what he’d achieved, but because he knew what it meant to fall short.

Now, McIlroy arrives at Bethpage Black for the 2025 Ryder Cup as a veteran leader under a new kind of pressure. Europe last won on U.S. soil in 2012 at Medinah, in what has gone down as one of the tour’s most epic comebacks.

Hosting the event at New York’s brutally demanding Bethpage, with its narrow fairways and famously raucous crowd, is a major test.

But McIlroy isn’t the only one brimming with confidence. He believes this year’s European lineup is more battle-hardened and experienced than the one that triumphed in Rome in 2023.

Ludvig Åberg 🇪🇺
Matt Fitzpatrick 🇪🇺
Tommy Fleetwood 🇪🇺
Tyrrell Hatton 🇪🇺
Rasmus Højgaard 🇪🇺
Viktor Hovland 🇪🇺
Shane Lowry 🇪🇺
Robert MacIntyre 🇪🇺
Rory McIlroy 🇪🇺
Jon Rahm 🇪🇺
Justin Rose 🇪🇺
Sepp Straka 🇪🇺#TeamEurope is locked in 🔐 pic.twitter.com/dOHGtLGOyc

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 1, 2025

“I love the team that Luke has assembled. It’s a very strong 12 players and I think it’s the right 12 players,” he said on Sky Sports.

“You could certainly make that case [that the players are stronger than in Rome]. You could argue that pretty much every player is more accomplished than two years ago.”

This roster features ten veterans from the Rome victory, with Rasmus Højgaard joining as the only new addition.

They’re seasoned. They’re tested. They’re ready. And with players like Robert MacIntyre, Ludvig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood showing excellent form, Team Europe is brimming with confidence.

On the U.S. side, expect everything they’ve got, and then some.

The home team, led by captain Keegan Bradley, features world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, dynamic stars like Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau, and a fiery crowd ready to roar them on.