Former Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley doubts whether Rory McIlroy will regain his place as world number one as he cannot replicate the consistency of Scottie Scheffler.
However, McGinley, strategic director for the current European team, believes the volatility in the Northern Irishman’s game means he can get up for the big events – and next week’s biennial meeting with the United States in New York is one of those occasions.
The 12-man team spent Monday and Tuesday on a reconnaissance of Bethpage Black and McGinley said Masters champion McIlroy “revelled” in shedding his “megastar” status and being one of the team.
“No-one was drawing on his time, he was just around the guys and in the middle of all the lads and you could see how much he enjoyed being in that environment,” said the Irishman, a three-time winner as a player and captain at Gleneagles in 2014.
“He is mentally engaged, I have no concerns about that. Rory has always been a volatile performer; his career has never been a straight line, there have been loads of dips and then he comes roaring back.
“Rory is charismatic, dynamic in how he plays, a risk-taker and he draws people in because he plays in the Arnold Palmer style.
“That guy is more hit and miss than a Scottie Scheffler, who plays the percentages, is very detailed and conservative in his approach.
“It is no surprise Scheffler is leading the world rankings and will do. I don’t know if Rory will ever lead the world rankings again because he doesn’t have the consistency Scottie has.
“Rory’s personality is in and out. He gets a flourish, he’s unbeatable and then he looks like he’s going to miss the cut and then he comes back again.
“One of the things you can always say about Rory is when he has something in his sightline he generally achieves it and generally performs.”
McGinley said Europe had spent a lot of money producing “the best prepared team I’ve ever come across” but the result would ultimately come down to whether they could turn in performances on the course.
For that he believes they have to lean on the likes of McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland.
“You can have all the vibe, all the preparation, but can the players perform in a hostile environment – that is the question,” he added.
“Can our top players bring a massive haul of points, because you win the Ryder Cup with top players’ performance.
“If you take Victor, Jon and Rory out the last Ryder Cup you are looking at maybe 10 points, which would only leave four and a half points from the rest of the team to get over the line.”
Key to that will be how they handle the boisterous New York crowd.
“You take soccer or rugby players, they are used to that hostile environment because they play in it every second week. Golfers are not,” said McGinley.
“It’s not the same as playing on the PGA Tour when it’s friendly fire: you miss a putt and there is polite applause but with a lot of shouting and maybe some personal insults thrown at you can you reset yourself and drown out that noise and deliver?
“We’ve had some guest speakers from other sports speak to the players about playing in a hostile environment. We’re doing all we can to prepare the players mentally.”
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