'Idea is to keep it pretty high' - Rory McIlroy feels making fairways tough to hit will help Team Europe at Ryder Cup
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Updated 21/09/2022 at 09:28 GMT
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is getting his first taste of next year's Ryder Cup venue at this week's Italian Open. Marco Simone Golf and Country Club appears to suit McIlroy's eye, as he made an excellent start to the event. The course's main defence appears to be the thick rough and McIlroy feels it would be to Team Europe's advantage to make the fairways tight.
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Rory McIlroy feels making landing areas from 150 yards in hard to find would help Team Europe at next year’s Ryder Cup.
McIlroy got his first taste of the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club at the Italian Open this week.
It appears to be a course that suits the world No. 2’s eye, as he secured the lead after two rounds in Rome.
The rough at the Italian venue is extremely penal, and McIlroy feels that is its main defence.
Many venues the United States players tackle on the PGA Tour are often second-shot courses, and McIlroy feels the Americans are extremely strong from inside 150 yards.
With that in mind, McIlroy believes captain Luke Donald’s conversations with course officials should be with regard to making it as difficult as possible to find the fairways in those landing zones.
When asked what the course’s main defence is, McIlroy replied: “The rough. If you get it going offline here off the tee, it is very difficult. The rough is incredibly thick and there is a sort of jungle outside of that if you get it way, way offline.
“Keeping it in the fairway is key.”
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As home captain, Donald has licence to set the course up to suit his players, and McIlroy believes the key is making the opposition go for greens with long irons in hand.
“I think, stats-wise, you look at the American team and they are very good from 150 (yards) in,” McIlroy said. “So trying to set the golf course up for it to be a challenge to get your tee shots in that range.
“You will see this year compared to last year, the rough has been brought in on either side. You have bunkers you can carry at 300 (yards) but the angle that is created is very tight and you are hitting it into a smaller window.
“So I think by forcing people to play more conservative off the tee I think that helps the Europeans a little bit. So I think that is part of the strategy for next year.”
Donald effectively confirmed the rough would be kept long for the Ryder Cup.
“The idea is to keep it pretty high,” Donald said. “We want to put a premium on hitting fairways.
“I don’t think it will be too much different. A couple of fairway lines might be even tighter.
“We want to play in similar conditions to what it is this year.”
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