Rory McIlroy's key Ryder Cup role revealed by Luke Donald after "rude awakening"

Luke Donald has highlighted the importance of to the European team, despite the Northern Irishman being an initial sceptic of the matchplay event.

McIlroy has become as important as any player to the European team, competing in the last seven Ryder Cups in blue and gold, winning five of them. Having become somewhat of a Ryder Cup veteran at the young age of 35, McIlroy's experience has become as important as his on-course abilities to the European setup.

And to make one year to go until the 2025 event at Bethpage Black, Team Europe skipper highlighted the importance of McIlroy in the locker room.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

"Rory has been a leader for us," he told reporters. "He understands the Ryder Cup, he understands that he wants to prepare as best as he can just like he would for a major. He is always a strong leader and strong voice in the team and he is great to have because of that.”

McIlroy's connection with the event however has not always been so strong. Speaking ahead of his Ryder Cup debut at Celtic Manor in 2010, the four-time major winner played down the importance of the event to his career a year earlier.

"It's not a huge goal of mine," he said. "It's an exhibition at the end of the day." This however quickly changed, and his Ryder Cup U-turn was more apparent then ever after to the United States in 2021.

For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to .

Fighting back his emotions three years ago, McIlroy told Sky Sports at Whistling Straits: "The more and more I play in this event, I realise that it is the best event in bar none. I love being a part of it, I can't wait to be a part of many more. Yeah, it is the best."

Donald referred back to McIlroy's initial 2009 comments as well as his change of heart during Tuesday's press conference. I think it was a little bit of a rude awakening for Rory when he made those comments before his first Ryder Cup in 2010," the captain claimed.

"Pretty quickly he found out it really isn’t an exhibition. This is the best event in golf and he even said that after the loss at Whistling Straits. He was very emotional." Looking ahead to next year's event, McIlroy is already eyeing just a rare victory on away soil. “I’ve said this for the last probably six or seven years to anyone that will listen: I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup,’’ McIlroy said in Rome last year. “And that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.’’