If Rory McIlroy’s significance to Europe was obvious in advance of this Ryder Cup, few could have envisaged his rising status as battle fever gripped Hazeltine. Rory McIlroy v Patrick Reed to lead off Ryder Cup singles Read moreAs the Northern Irishman battled desperately and brilliantly to keep Europe alive in this magnificent contest, the flow of abuse towards him grew. That crossed the line on occasion, to the point where McIlroy would logically have been involved in a psychological battle to retain composure. The man who once dubbed the Ryder Cup an exhibition was right at the centre of that very thing. In doing so, McIlroy conjured memories of Ian Poulter; so recently the man American golf fans loved to hate.

Source: The Guardian October 01, 2016 23:50 UTC