Rory McIlroy has issued key advice that could help Team Europe win the Ryder Cup.
The Northern Irishman arrives in New York as one of Europe's key players hoping to retain the trophy. But they head into the tournament as underdogs against an American team that have only lost on home soil four times in the Ryder Cup's 98-year history.
McIlroy is one of the most experienced names in Europe's line-up and has featured in every Ryder Cup since 2010. The 36-year-old played a key role the last time Europe won in the United States, producing a famous comeback in 2012 that became known as the 'Miracle in Medinah'.
This year's tournament begins at Beckpage Black on Friday, and ahead of the action, McIlroy was asked what advice he would offer Europe's younger players when competing across the Atlantic.
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He said: “Yeah, look, I think everyone has to find their own balance of what works for them or what, We're playing in an environment that we are not really used to or we don't get to play in very often.
"I'm very lucky, I get a lot of support pretty much everywhere I go when I play golf, and it's going to feel a little different for me this week. But that's to be expected, and that's totally understandable.
"I feel at times in the Ryder Cup, I have engaged too much with that, too much with the crowd. But then there's times where I haven't engaged enough. So it's really just trying to find the balance of using that energy from the crowd to fuel your performance."
McIlroy is one of only 37 Europeans to have won a Ryder Cup in America with that triumph in 2012.
But he always knows the disappointment of losing on foreign soil, after defeats at Hazeltine in 2016 and Whistling Straits in 2021.
McIlroy added: “I felt like at Hazeltine, I probably engaged too much at times, and then Whistling Straits, I didn't engage enough and felt pretty flat because of it.
"It's just trying to find that balance."
Another European star who knows about handling partisan American crowds is Justin Rose.
The Englishman will make his seventh Ryder Cup appearance this weekend, chasing what would be his fifth win. Back in 2016, he was playing a practice round with Henrick Stenson in a practice round against Andy Sullivan and McIlroy, when Sullivan missed a putt.
An American fan shouted: "I could have made that."
The Europeans decided to put him to the test, with Rose placing $100 on the green if the fan could sink it.
To the shock of everyone, he did, sparking huge celebrations from himself, the crowd and even the Europeans.
Topics: Golf, Rory Mcilroy, Ryder Cup
James Taylor