RORY'S STATED AIM

After winning the Grand Slam, Mcllroy wants to claim another Ryder Cup on US soil to help banish the memories of the battering at Whistling Straits

- BY ANDY DUNN

AFTER Rory McIlroy hit his most recent Ryder Cup shot on American soil, a few of us approached him after he had shaken hands with vanquished Xander Schauffele.

McIlroy promptly dissolved into tears.

He had won his singles match at Whistling Straits (below) but that victory had been preceded by three defeats in foursomes and fourballs. McIlroy's misery in Wisconsin in 2021 was emblematic of Team Europe's surrender on the banks of Lake Michigan.

Rory had not just been beaten three times, he had been pummelled - twice losing by a 4&3 margin and going down 5&3 in his opening match.

For only the second time in his seven-event Ryder Cup career, he had been dropped for a session.

His anger and emotions bubbled over after the relatively meaningless singles win over Schauffele but there was also defiance.