Rory McIlroy talks up secret Team Europe weapon to win Ryder Cup vs USA
Rory McIlroy has revealed the expertise of vice-captain Edoardo Molinari could prove to be a secret weapon in Team Europe's attempts to regain the Ryder Cup in Rome.
McIlroy is expected to lead from the front at Marco Simone, having taken on the role as the most experienced Ryder Cup player in the European ranks. The Northern Irishman is set to play a key part on the course for the home team, as he heads into the event in fine form.
The task at hand will be a tough one for McIlroy and co though, as they take on an American team who won the Ryder Cup in record-breaking fashion at Whistling Straits in 2021. Two years on though, the new-look European setup have found a new sense of confidence with a healthy mix of experience and form found within the 12-man team.
Main man McIlroy believes the success of the team will not just come from the playing roster. The four-time major champion believes one of Luke Donald's right-hand men in Molinari to play a big part in Europe's efforts in Italy.
Italian native Molinari has become renowned in professional golf for his statistical work, and McIlroy believes this is only set to help himself and his teammates.
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"He’s [Molinari] delved really deep into the stats in terms of pairings for fourballs, for foursomes, course setup, what our team does well and what their team does well; how can we set ourselves up for success in whatever way possible,” McIlroy revealed.
Edoardo Molinari and Rory McIlroy played together back in 2010"He has also formed a very close relationship with some of the players over the last few years because he does some of the stats for certain players. So, I think the players trust him. Sometimes you have to take numbers with a grain of salt, and they don’t tell a whole story or the whole picture."
As well as his impressive work with numbers, Molinari also has on-course experience too having been part of the European team that won the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in 2010. For McIlroy this only adds to the importance of the Italian in the Team Europe camp.
"I think Edoardo comes in there not just as a statistician but as someone that’s played the Ryder Cup and still plays the game at a competitive level," McIlroy added. "I think all of those things combined, there’s a big level of trust that he obviously knows what he is talking about, and what he’s giving us is good information.”
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