By Tom Sunderland
Copyright belfastlive
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy has revealed he won’t be dropping into his Florida residence following Team Europe’s recon mission ahead of the 2025 Ryder Cup . The visiting team will have some free time in their schedule after a scouting trip to Bethpage in New York, where this year’s Ryder Cup will be held. Just a fortnight remains before the 45th Ryder Cup gets underway on the east coast, with Europe aiming to go back-to-back for the first time in more than a decade. McIlroy, 36, was part of the last European team to triumph on American soil back in 2012 when Jose Maria Olazabal skippered the visitors to a historic, narrow victory. Luke Donald will resume his mantle as captain in 2025 having led Team Europe to a home triumph in Rome two years ago. McIlroy will first look to earn some traction with a win at the BMW PGA Championship this week, and the Northern Irish icon gave some insight into his plans ahead of this year’s team showcase. “No. There’s probably no point in going back to Florida,” he told reporters at Wentworth when asked if he’d be stopping in prior to the Ryder Cup. “The golf courses there still aren’t ready. They do a lot of maintenance over the summer. Greens will be soft and slow. I’ll say we’ll probably stay up around the area, play some of the golf courses around there for a few days, and then we’ll all reconvene at Bethpage on Monday. But I think a lot of us are going to stay up around that north-east area.” McIlroy recently moved into a revamped Surrey mansion after first purchasing the home back in 2023. However, the family have retained their equally charming abode in Jupiter, Florida , as well. McIlroy purchased his Florida estate from fellow golf legend Ernie Els back in 2017. The 13,000 square-foot property is nestled in the exclusive Bear’s Club community in Jupiter and features nine bedrooms, a games room, gym and swimming pool. While it may offer the perfect location for a bit of downtime between Team Europe’s intel mission and their war for golf’s top team prize getting underway, McIlroy will resist the temptation for home comforts to remain closer to Bethpage instead. He will hope to have a great impact at Wentworth over the coming days after finally moving onto the estate himself. And that familiarity may pay dividends as he goes in search of the £1.1million top prize. The BMW PGA Championship offers the biggest total prize fund on the DP World Tour at £6.6m. And there would be few better ways to wind up his preparation for the Ryder Cup than by banking another seven-figure payday in what’s already been a historic year for McIlroy. The Holywood hero has been grouped with close pal Shane Lowry and LIV Golf rival Jon Rahm for the start of the tournament. But it won’t be long until attention turns fully towards the Ryder Cup as he looks to add a sixth winner’s medal to his collection in eight appearances, and he’s feeling quietly confident about his team’s chances . “I do think we’re still underdogs,” McIlroy told the Sky Sports Golf podcast ahead of this weekend’s action at Wentworth. “I think it’s a really tall task, but not an insurmountable one. I think that there is an opportunity there, but we have to get the planning right. “We have to make sure that we’re all ready for what lies ahead. I think Luke’s got everything under control and I’m sure he’s thought of every single scenario, so I think we’re good in that department.”
