McIlroy calls US the greatest country in the world on eve of Ryder Cup

On the eve of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, Rory McIlroy said the United States is “the greatest country in the world” as he prepares for his eighth Ryder Cup appearance for Europe and works toward a sixth win. The Northern Ireland star spoke at a Thursday press conference about growing up in America and his life there today, highlighting what he described as opportunity, work ethic and celebration of success in the United States.

“Everyone wanted to make it in America,” McIlroy said when asked about his impressions of the country as a child and how they endure after living there. “It’s the land of opportunity. And I still believe it’s the best country in the world, and if you come here and work hard and dedicate yourself, you can be or do whatever you want. I am unbelievably grateful and lucky that I got to come to America early on. I think success is celebrated here. I think there’s a wonderful sense of work ethic.” He added that he lives in the United States, his wife is American and his daughter is American, underscoring his ongoing ties to the country.

McIlroy is part of Europe’s bid to win on the road for the first time since the 2012 Miracle at Medinah. The team will open with foursomes on Friday, and McIlroy is slated to pair with Tommy Fleetwood to face Collin Morikawa and Harris English. “Basically since 2012, you look at the results of the Ryder Cup, the home team has won every time,” he said. “But they also have won convincingly. You know, it’s been pretty one-sided either way. So whatever team, whether that’s Europe or America that is the one to break that duck, I think honestly is going to go down as one of the best teams in Ryder Cup history.”

At Bethpage, McIlroy’s goal is clear: help Europe become the first road team to clinch a Ryder Cup victory in more than a decade. The event comes after a year in which he finally completed the career Grand Slam by capturing the Masters in April, ending a long-standing drought.

The route to Bethpage has included significant personal and professional milestones. McIlroy grew up in Holywood, Northern Ireland, and moved to Florida’s Palm Beach Gardens in 2013, a move that has framed his life as a global star. In July, he and his wife, Erica Stoll, relocated to the United Kingdom, though they still own a home at the Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Florida.

With the Ryder Cup spotlight intensifying as kickoff approaches, McIlroy emphasized the broader context of the biennial event: a test of team depth and resilience on foreign soil. The European squad is intent on breaking the home-team dominance that has defined recent matches, and McIlroy’s leadership and form in the run-up to Friday’s tee times are central to that mission.

As the teams prepare for competition at Bethpage Black, McIlroy’s experience and perspective—spanning eight Ryder Cups, a career Grand Slam and a life split between Europe and the United States—underscore the broader storyline: this is a pivotal moment for Europe to challenge the home-team advantage and potentially rewrite Ryder Cup history.