McIlroy to follow Djokovic’s lead in ‘handling’ Ryder Cup animus

STRAFFAN, Ireland — Rory McIlroy watched Novak Djokovic handle boisterous spectators during a win at the US Open and is ready to follow the tennis star’s lead at the Ryder Cup held in the United States this month.

A hostile and partisan crowd is set to greet McIlroy and the European team at Bethpage Black for the Sept. 26-28 matches as the Americans look to regain the cup two years after losing in Rome.

Djokovic had to deal with a similar environment during his US Open quarterfinal match against home favorite Taylor Fritz and handled it well, even blowing kisses at one point to the fans rooting against him.

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McIlroy liked what he saw from Djokovic, who gave Europe’s golfers a motivational speech in their team room before the victory at the 2023 Ryder Cup about dealing with high-pressure moments.

“He’s been the best at handling that,” McIlroy said Wednesday at the Irish Open. “He’s had to deal with it his whole life, whether it’s playing against an American in New York or playing against Roger (Federer) or Rafa (Nadal).

“He came and spoke to us a little bit about that stuff last time in Rome. So maybe taking a leaf out of his book and channeling that energy the right way. But again, all we can do is control our reaction and our emotions to it. I think the less we play into it, the better it is for us.”

The experience of Rome should come in handy at Bethpage for a European team – finalized Monday – showing just one change two years on, with Rasmus Hojgaard qualifying automatically to be the only rookie in the 12-man roster.

McIlroy used Robert MacIntrye – a rookie in Rome and now a regular contender for events on the PGA Tour – as an example to back up his belief that “pretty much every player on the team is more accomplished than what they were two years ago” and believes Europe has a “wonderful opportunity” to win a Ryder Cup on the road for the first time since 2012.

“They have a very strong team,” McIlroy said of the Americans. “They’re going to have a pretty raucous crowd on their side and on a golf course that a lot of them know pretty well from previous tournaments there.

“So make no mistake, we know we’re up against it and we know we’ve got a tall task on our hands, but I love the team that Luke has assembled.”