Rory McIlroy rolls into his second straight Ryder Cup as the No. 1 player in the world. In 2012, McIlroy came to Medinah off a dominating PGA Championship win and two wins in the four-event FedEx Cup. He was in top form, but things seem much different this year. McIlroy is the singular force in golf right now, rebounding from an awful 2013 season for the best summer of his career.
The way Rory overwhelmed the fields and courses of the Open and PGA made it clear that his best is better than everyone else's and no one on either side of the Atlantic can match it. With his back-to-back major summer, his profile has also increased dramatically and he's now the face of golf while Tiger hobbles through the end of his 30s. That disastrous 2013 interlude aside, this is an entirely different No. 1 McIlroy -- one who's the team leader for Europe and the biggest star of the entire event.
His Ryder Cup record isn't dominant, but Rory will be the favorite facing any American he's matched up against -- it's just the nature of where he sits in the game right now. McIlroy could be paired with almost anyone on the Euro side. He's had success with Ian Poulter (who hasn't) but putting those two together might be dangerous for captain Paul McGinley. Most of these Euros have successful Ryder Cup experience, but pairing Poulter and Rory might be weighting too much in one match. If they were together and lost as overwhelming favorites, that would be a blow to the Euro side and an enormous mental boost for Team USA.
Rory could also play with fellow Ulsterman Graeme McDowell or summer buddy Sergio Garcia. He played three of the four doubles matches with McDowell in 2012, and one with Poulter. But it might be best to put the biggest star of the event with a rookie, such as Stephen Gallacher or Jamie Donaldson, taking the spotlight and some of the pressure off those first-timers early in the Cup. With just one day to go, most reports have Rory likely paired up with Sergio and Martin Kaymer, which would put three of the summer's 4 majors in just one group.
At the end of the Tour Championship, McIlroy said he was worn out and did not plan to touch or look at a golf club during the week off. A world-class player rarely plays four straight weeks, and Rory played nine of 11 weeks from the Scottish Open through the FedEx Cup. So by the end of the PGA Tour season, he wasn't the same player we saw go on that three straight and back-to-back major run. The week off should help, and the fact that it's the Ryder Cup should re-motivate Rory to play up to his Open and PGA form. Regardless of how tired he may be or who he's paired with, McIlroy should play all four doubles sessions over the first two days (only eight of 12 players play in one session). We know he'll be there on Sunday singles (unless he forgets what time zone he's in and needs a last-minute police escort to the course again), and we know he'll be the most-watched player of the Cup.
Age: 25
World ranking: 1
Ryder Cup record (Win-Loss-Halve): 4-3-2
Past Ryder Cup appearance: 2010, 2012
How he qualified: Automatic spot -- 1st in World Points List, 1st in European Points List