“I am very happy for these 12 players, they have given everything this week. It has been a pleasure to be with them,” said the European captain
For McIlroy, “it was an incredible experience. “I got to know things about my teammates that I thought I had known for a long time and I think that boosted us as a team,” commented the Northern Irishman.
Europe’s captain, Luke Donald, vindicated his team’s role after winning the Ryder Cup golf tournament and pointed out those who did not trust the Europeans as winners.
“I am very happy for these 12 players, they have given everything this week. It has been a pleasure to be with them. They have made my life very easy and have played like superstars. I don’t think many people gave us a chance, especially two years ago. And we showed them that they were wrong,” she stated bluntly at a press conference.
“We were up 10 1/2 points to 5 1/2. We were in a great place. We were in a perfect place. We knew it was in our hands. We continue with the same plan we planned all week: start fast. Play as a team. Take advantage of the public, use their energy,” he added.
The captain did not want to get wet about his renewal: “Listen, guys, I want to enjoy this moment right now with these guys... They haven’t asked me yet,” he acknowledged.
Olazábal, an inspiration for the team
In addition, Donald highlighted the figure of José María Olazábal, European vice-captain.“José María was very inspiring. He doesn’t talk much, but when he does, we all listen to him. There is a dead silence in the room and it is incredible.
For his part, Rory McIlroy valued his experience in the prestigious competition and left the door open to a farewell: “In the Ryder Cup there are always many ups and downs, emotions and changes. There was a moment when he was looking at the board to see how we got to 14 and a half points, but in the end we got it easily.”
“This is my seventh Ryder Cup; am I going to play in another seven? I don’t know. “I’m probably in the last nine matches of my Ryder Cup career, and each one I play from now on will be very significant…” he noted.
“It was an incredible experience. I came to know things about my classmates that I thought I had known for a long time. and I think that boosted us as a team, and that the mere fact of spending time with them is increasingly meaningful, because I know that I don’t have many more left,” he said.