Rory McIlroy the face of European resolve and a return to dominance in the Ryder Cup - NBC Sports
On Sept. 26, 2021, the Ryder Cup’s balance of power had supposedly shifted. It took more than one man to create the current 180, but no better man epitomizes the heart, passion and resiliency of Europe than Rory McIlroy.
Skip navigation
Search Query
Submit Search
MLB
NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
Premier League
College Football
Men’s College Basketball
Horse Racing
Top News
Getting Defensive: Week 5 fantasy plays led by Lions, Vikings; top streaming defenses
Gary Davenport,
Gary Davenport,
SuperMotocross League announces 2026 schedule
Dan Beaver,
Dan Beaver,
Fantasy Football Week 5 Defense (DST) Rankings and Streamers
Eric Samulski,
Eric Samulski,
Top Clips
Sirianni addresses Brown’s tweet, lackluster stats
Why Bengals need Burrow to be competitive
NFL Week 5 injury updates: Nabers, Purdy, Alt
Trending Teams
Washington Commanders
St. Louis Cardinals
New York Yankees
All Sports
All Sports
NFL
MLB
NBA
NHL
Soccer
Motors
NASCAR
College Football
Olympics
Golf
Fantasy Sports
WNBA
Men’s College Basketball
Women’s College Basketball
Paralympics
Tennis
Horse Racing
Cycling
On Her Turf
Figure Skating
Dog Show
Rugby
Navy All-American Bowl
WWE
Rotoworld
Rotoworld
Fantasy Home
Betting Home
Fantasy Football
Football Player News
Matthew Berry
Fantasy Basketball
Basketball Player News
Fantasy Baseball
Baseball Player News
NBC Sports
Watch
Podcasts
Peacock
Telemundo Deportes
Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics
Team USA
Olympics
GolfNow
GolfPass
SportsEngine
NBC Sports Press Box
Search Query
Submit Search
MLB
NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
Premier League
College Football
Men’s College Basketball
Horse Racing
Top News
Getting Defensive: Week 5 fantasy plays led by Lions, Vikings; top streaming defenses
Gary Davenport,
Gary Davenport,
SuperMotocross League announces 2026 schedule
Dan Beaver,
Dan Beaver,
Fantasy Football Week 5 Defense (DST) Rankings and Streamers
Eric Samulski,
Eric Samulski,
Top Clips
Sirianni addresses Brown’s tweet, lackluster stats
Why Bengals need Burrow to be competitive
NFL Week 5 injury updates: Nabers, Purdy, Alt
Trending Teams
Washington Commanders
St. Louis Cardinals
New York Yankees
All Sports
NFL
MLB
NBA
NHL
Soccer
Motors
NASCAR
College Football
Olympics
Golf
Fantasy Sports
WNBA
Men’s College Basketball
Women’s College Basketball
Paralympics
Tennis
Horse Racing
Cycling
On Her Turf
Figure Skating
Dog Show
Rugby
Navy All-American Bowl
WWE
Rotoworld
Fantasy Home
Betting Home
Fantasy Football
Football Player News
Matthew Berry
Fantasy Basketball
Basketball Player News
Fantasy Baseball
Baseball Player News
NBC Sports
Watch
Podcasts
Favorites
Favorites
Profile
Peacock
Telemundo Deportes
Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics
Team USA
Olympics
GolfNow
GolfPass
SportsEngine
NBC Sports Press Box
Profile
Login or Create Profile
Profile
Login or Create Profile
Favorites
Menu
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
Rory McIlroy the face of European resolve and a return to dominance in the Ryder Cup
By
Ryan Lavner,
By
Ryan Lavner
Published September 29, 2025 09:45 AM
Facebook
Twitter
Email
{"unknownError":"There has been an error","expiredError":"This video has been expired due to copyright restrictions.","unavailableError":"This content is not yet available.","georestrictedError":"This content is not available in your location.","networkId":"169843","adManagerUrl":"https://mssl.fwmrm.net/libs/adm/7.2.1/AdManager.js","serverId":"https://29773.v.fwmrm.net/ad/g/1","profileId":"169843:nbcu_web_jwp_cs_moat_https","afid":"140315314","caid":"golf_nbc_golf_europresser_250928","csid":"nbcsports_embed_on_domain","sfid":"751525","adHocGroup":"Ryder Cup","athlete":"","businessUnit":"Golf","category":"","duration":"1823622","event":"Ryder Cup","externalAdvertiserId":"golf_nbc_golf_europresser_250928","genre":"Interview, Trending","guid":"nbc_golf_europresser_250928","league":"PGA of America","network":"169843","platform":"PC","playlist":"","show":"Live From","sport":"Golf","subtype":"","team":"","title": "Europeans discuss 'dream week' at Bethpage Black","datePublished":"September 28, 2025 07:24 PM","videoPageUrl": "https://www.nbcsports.com/watch/golf/pga-of-america/europeans-discuss-dream-week-during-2025-ryder-cup-at-bethpage-black","availableDate":"2025-09-28T23:24:48Z","expirationDate":"","countries":"","comscorePublisherId":"3000055","comscorePluginSrc":"https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js","mParticleData":{"Brand":"","Sport":"Golf","League":"PGA of America","Teams":"","Athletes":"","Article Title":"Rory McIlroy the face of European resolve and a return to dominance in the Ryder Cup","Episode Title":"Europeans discuss 'dream week' during 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black","Video ID":"2454493763649","Video Type":"Short-Form VOD","Video Duration":"30","Genre":"Interview, Trending","Secondary Genre":"","Product":"nbcsports.com"}}
Europeans discuss 'dream week' at Bethpage Black
September 28, 2025 07:24 PM
The European team breaks down their win during the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where they were able to thrive in a hostile environment.
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – On Sept. 26, 2021, the Ryder Cup’s balance of power had supposedly shifted.
The Americans had just run up the score in front of delirious home fans at Whistling Straits, dropping 19 points on an aging European team in dire need of a reboot. Eight of the 12 U.S. team members were under the age of 30. Their average world ranking: 8.9. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth were among those who represented not just the present power but also the future leaders – young, influential voices whose bonds to each other, their team and their country ran deep. Most who watched that week came away with the same conclusion: the Americans appeared poised for a decade-plus run of domination.
After all, they were younger, hungrier and stronger, while nearly half of the European team was past their prime and few options were in the pipeline. So humbling was the defeat that the team’s best player, Rory McIlroy, broke down afterward in a TV interview. He’d let down his captain, his teammates, himself. Through tears he explained that there’s nothing more special than playing on these teams. That’s plainly obvious in victory, of course, with the inside jokes and the backslapping and the champagne spraying. But perhaps it’s even more apparent when they lose.
So, four years later: What happened?
How did that nadir signal not a U.S. movement but rather a momentary blip?
Rating: 5