ROME — There was barely a European fingerprint on the Ryder Cup the Europeans won Sunday, defeating the U.S. 16 ½ to 11 ½ at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, before Rory McIlroy, one of their best, most polarizing players, delivered a guarantee that would make Joe Namath blush.
“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. “And that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.’’
Boom.
Bethpage Black is where the next Ryder Cup will be played, in 2025.
The American team hasn’t won on European soil since 1993. The last time Europe won the cup in America was in 2012, thanks to a massive comeback in Sunday singles after trailing, 10-6.
They’ll surely have a large bulletin board at Bethpage, where that McIlroy quote will be blown up in two years’ time.