“We have a great foundation now” -Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry share insights on rookies securing the future of the Ryder Cup for Europe
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are optimistic about Europe's great future in the Ryder Cup following the success of the youngsters in Rome.
The European squad had a lot of young faces this time. Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Åberg, and Nicolai Højgaard made their Ryder Cup debut in Rome, while Viktor Hovland was part of the team for the second time in his career.
Following the conclusion of the 2023 Ryder Cup, Lowry seemed hopeful about Europe's prospects in the next edition, which will take place in Bethpage, New York.
He was quoted as saying, via the Irish Independent:
"We have built the bones of an amazing future team here this week. Ludvig, Nicolai, Viktor. Rahmbo isn’t old. Rory is not old, Tommy is not old. Everyone is pretty young in the team room.
"We have an amazing Ryder Cup team going forward and I think if we do things right, we can be successful over there and I want to be a part of that. It has got to be one of my goals next year."
The 2019 Open Championship winner felt that the absence of European legends like Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, and Ian Poulter helped players like McIlroy, Rahm, and Viktor Hovland to step up and deliver outstanding performances. These three players contributed 11½ points out of the 16.5 accumulated by the European team.
The 36-year-old Irishman added that, besides the 12 members of the European squads, there were many talented players waiting for their chance to compete in the biennial event.
"I think so and I am not even talking about the 12 players who are here. I am talking about Rasmus Hojgaard, Vincent Norrman and Adrian Meronk. Look at all the young players in Europe coming up, we have a great foundation now," he concluded.
McIlroy also echoed Lowry's sentiments. He said, as per the Irish Independent:
"It’s a young team. We can all grow together. I could potentially be the oldest person on the team next time. It’s a new era. And it’s a pretty good one."
How did each player from Team Europe perform at the 2023 Ryder Cup?
Rory McIlroy became the leading point scorer at Marco Simone Golf Club for the first time in his career in his seventh appearance. He earned four points, winning four and losing just one.
FedEx Cup Champion Viktor Hovland bagged 3.5 points with three wins and one tie in five matches. Jon Rahm remained unbeaten with two wins and two tied matches in Rome.
Here is the performance of each European player at the 2023 Ryder Cup (W-L-T):
- Rory McIlroy (4–1–0): 4 points
- Tommy Fleetwood (3–1–0): 3 points
- Tyrrell Hatton (3-0-1): 3.5 points
- Viktor Hovland (3–1–1): 3.5 points
- Jon Rahm (2–0–2): 3 points
- Robert MacIntyre (2–0–1): 2.5 points
- Ludvig Åberg (2–2–0): 2 points
- Justin Rose (1–1–1): 1.5 points
- Shane Lowry (1–1–1): 1.5 points
- Matt Fitzpatrick (1–2–0): 1 point
- Sepp Straka (1–2–0): 1 point
- Nicolai Højgaard (0–2–1): 0.5 points