Rory McIlroy Sends Clear Message About His Golf Future Before Ryder Cup

Next week marks one of the most highly anticipated events in all of sports as the world’s best golfers gather for the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup, pitting Team USA against Team Europe.

This year’s competition will be held at the iconic Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York.

With both teams already preparing for the Sept. 26 start, European star Rory McIlroy — set to compete in his eighth Ryder Cup — opened up about his current life in golf and what he envisions for his future in the sport, even as he continues to play at an elite level.

“I have realized over the past few years that when all is said and done, people aren’t going to remember how much money I won," McIlroy told Ewan Murray of The Guardian. "What they are going to remember is how many majors I won. So getting up for those? Not a concern at all. It’s the week-in, week-out stuff that I have found a bit of a struggle at times. The majors and the Ryder Cup are the five things in golf that at this point really matter to me.

“It is a struggle for me to love the position I am in all the time,” he added. “There are times when I would like to just breeze through life and not get the attention I do but I understand that with what I have done in the game, that is just part of it. There are times that I yearn for a little anonymity and having a quieter life. That will happen one day. This is my time in the sun. In 10 years it won’t be and that is my time to enjoy that part of it.”