For McIlroy and the Europeans, the Ryder Cup buildup starts now

On paper, the European team heading to New York to defend the Ryder Cup could hardly be more similar to the winning lineup two years ago.

Look closer and plenty of things are different.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have moved to LIV Golf. Bob MacIntyre, a rookie in Rome, is now among the world’s top 10 players. Viktor Hovland has remodeled his swing. Oh, and Rory McIlroy has completed the career Grand Slam.

No wonder, then, that McIlroy cannot wait for next week’s team practice trip to Bethpage Black – the venue for the Sept. 26-28 matches in the Ryder Cup – in a bid to rediscover the bond that brought the European team success in Italy in 2023.

“I think getting us all back together and building that up again is going to be really important,” McIlroy said Tuesday, “but I think it will be easy when we all get together.

“It’s like nothing’s ever really changed.”

Indeed, for the Europeans, the Ryder Cup buildup starts at the BMW PGA Championship held at Wentworth this week.

Eleven of Luke Donald’s 12-man team will be competing in the event – Sepp Straka is the only absentee – and they’ll meet for a dinner on Tuesday evening. The European tour have put the players in the same groups for the opening rounds on Thursday and Friday – Justin Rose with Tommy Fleetwood; Ludvig Åberg with Matt Fitzpatrick; Hovland with sole rookie Rasmus Højgaard; MacIntrye with Hatton; and McIlroy with Rahm and Shane Lowry.

The 11 players will then fly to New York on Sunday evening after the final round, link up with Straka, and play practice rounds at Bethpage on Monday and Tuesday. After that, in McIlroy’s words, they will have “a bit of fun” together for the rest of the week.

“You could make an argument,” McIlroy said, “that the 12 guys that we have going to New York are more accomplished golfers than they were two years ago when most of us were in Rome.”

While McIlroy is coming off a win at his home event, the Irish Open, on Sunday, the BMW PGA Championship will be Fleetwood’s first tournament since winning the Tour Championship – his maiden title on the PGA Tour – and $10 million as the FedEx Cup champion.

That’s at the back of his mind now, though.

“We are, like, firmly in Ryder Cup season and there’s Ryder Cup all over the TV and I love that,” the Englishman said. “I love watching that stuff. I love being part of the process now, that is like the team is set and the Ryder Cup is coming up.

“I think Sunday and next week, the practice days are a huge part of it … getting the juices flowing and getting together, it’s the best feeling.”