Rory McIlroy warned by former skipper not to repeat 2016 Ryder Cup mistake

Former European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington has implored Rory McIlroy to rise above anything personal shouted from outside the ropes at Bethpage Black. 

McIlroy and his 11 European teammates will lock horns with Keegan Bradley's United States next week in New York. 

Northern Ireland's McIlroy, 36, will make his fourth away appearance in the biennial showdown. 

It surely isn't unreasonable to suggest McIlroy will need to be at his best if Europe are to have any hope of winning a first away Ryder Cup since 2012. 

The reigning Masters champion holds an overall record of 16-13-4 and will aim to replicate his standout performance from two years ago where he collected four points from five matches. 

Harrington has shared the locker room with McIlroy on plenty of occasions at the Ryder Cup. 

The two-time Open champion and McIlroy were part of the 2010 side that prevailed at Celtic Manor. 

Harrington served as a vice-captain for Darren Clarke in 2016 at Hazeltine. He was also the captain when Europe fell to a record 19-9 defeat at Whistling Straits four years ago.  

Speaking to Indo Sport, Harrington revealed one spectator crossed the line at Hazeltine and McIlroy "went into the ropes to go after them". 

Harrington said he did not want to see a repeat. 

"Somebody said something pretty abusive to him, a couple of times I think," he said. 

"So they said it at the crosswalk so he went into the ropes to go after them. 

"And I'm standing behind him and all I'm thinking is if he goes in there, I have to go in there and the two of us are going to be throwing handbags. 

"It was one of those ones where your friend is doing the posturing and you're behind him thinking oh no, just somehow back out of this quietly. 

"We don't want to see any of that."

McIlroy laid bare Europe's plans to deal with the expected abuse last week at Wentworth. 

Captain Luke Donald sanctioned the use of virtual reality headsets to replicate the sights and sounds the players could endure over the three-day contest.

McIlroy did not reveal what messages were relayed through his headset. 

But he believes the European team is more than prepared. 

In fact, he made the prediction that it may transpire the crowd "won't be that bad". 

Harrington said some players could see an improved performance if they get angry. 

"We've seen people get angry on the golf course, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 

"The key here is if I was down in a match, I’d love somebody to shout something bad at me and make me angry, because I’m losing the match, I want things to change. 

"If I'm up in a match, I don't want to change anything in my match. I want to keep the emotions the exact same. 

"That's the same with getting angry on the golf course, it can work but it's not within your control so I wouldn’t be recommending it, I wouldn't be relying on it."

The 2025 Ryder Cup will be played over 26-28 September. 

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