WATCH: Rory McIlroy and his European teammates celebrate with Ryder Cup trophy, chant ‘Europe’s on fire’
Rory McIlroy was the leader of the European team throughout the 2023 Ryder Cup, a status he successfully defended during the competition and the celebrations.
This Sunday, the Europeans unleashed all of their euphoria to celebrate their resounding Ryder Cup victory. A video first posted on Team Europe's official social media account shows the chants on board the bus that transported the players.
In less than four hours, the video received more than 4.1 million views on the Team Europe Ryder Cup X account and over 967,000 views on the PGA Tour X account.
The video features Rory McIlroy in the foreground, holding the trophy. Shane Lowry is also present. The entire team can be seen singing, "U.S.A. is terrified, Europe's on fire," to the rhythm of Gala Rizzatto's popular song "Freed From Desire," released in 1996.
This is not the first time the rhythm of this song has been used for sports celebrations. In 2016, it was used to highlight the skills of Northern Ireland soccer player Will Griggs (Will Griggs' on fire).
Rory McIlroy at the 2023 Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is an event where Rory McIlroy shines. The Northern Irishman has taken part in seven editions of the event, winning 16, losing 13 and drawing four of his 33 matches.
His record is 18 points out of a possible 33 (54.54%). He has been on the winning side five times so far. His most relevant edition has been the recently finished one, with four points out of a possible five.
The specialty where Rory McIlroy is most effective is singles, where he has four wins, two losses and one draw (4.5 points out of seven).
In foursomes, McIlroy has played 13 matches, winning seven, losing five and drawing one. His record in foursomes is more even, with five wins, five losses and three halves in 13 matches.
In the 2023 edition, McIlroy recorded four wins and one loss. On the first day, he played in foursomes with Tommy Fleetwood. The pair beat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay 2 & 1.
In the afternoon, the Northern Irishman was paired with Matt Fitzpatrick. The duo recorded Europe's only four-ball victory, beating Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele 5 & 3.
On Saturday, McIlroy returned with Fleetwood to beat Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth 2 & 1 in foursomes. In the afternoon (teaming again with Fitzpatrick), he suffered his only loss of the event to Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark, 1 up. This match featured an altercation with Cantlay's caddie, Joe LaCava.
Finally, McIlroy won his singles match against Sam Burns 3 & 1.