Rory McIlroy has warned Europe’s Ryder Cup rookies to expect a new kind of pressure when they tee it up at Hazeltine.
The biennial event takes place between September 30 and October 2 and will see the Europeans looking to lift the trophy for the fourth straight edition.
However, a lack of experience could hinder them, with five rookies having qualified automatically while captain Darren Clarke has also selected Thomas Pieters as one of his three wildcards.
The seasoned pairing of Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer were his other picks, with it widely accepted they had got the nod due to their past endeavours.
McIlroy admits he was “tentative” when he made his debut in the competition at Celtic Manor in 2010 and, despite having two major titles to his name, was “uncomfortable” when he made his first Ryder Cup appearance on American soil at Medinah in 2012.
The 27-year-old has now warned his team’s debutants that the pressure at Hazeltine will be unlike anything they have previously experienced in the game.
“I was really uncomfortable in 2010, I was just uncomfortable in 2012, and I was somewhat comfortable in 2014,” said McIlroy.
“The Ryder Cup is a tournament where you get feelings that you’ve never had before.
“That’s what it’s like, so the rookies are going to experience things that they have probably never experienced before on a golf course.
It’s just to make them aware of that and sort of try to help them embrace that in some way.”
Europe are currently 2.75 to retain the Ryder Cup, with the tie 11.00 and the USA are the 1.53 favourites.
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