McIlroy: I'm just part of a team this week

Much has been made this week of Rory McIlroy being a target for the opposition in the Ryder Cup, one of Europe's "big dogs" that US captain Tom Watson wants to bring down.

But anyone fortunate enough to be at Medinah in 2012 and Gleneagles this week might be hard-pressed to spot the difference between the situation then and now.

"This week I'm not the number one player in the world," McIlroy said in Chicago.

"I'm one person in a 12-man team and that's it. It's a team effort. There's 12 guys striving towards the same goal. I'm just part of that."

Fast forward two years and the answer is eerily familiar.

"I've got a responsibility just to put points on the board and I'm one-twelfth of a team unit here," the 25-year-old said.

"I'm going to play the same role as everyone else just to try and get points on the board."

And the similarities do not end there. In 2012, McIlroy went into the Ryder Cup as the hottest player on the planet, the reigning US PGA champion and winner of two of his previous three tournaments in the FedEx Cup play-offs.

Arriving at Gleneagles, McIlroy is again top of the world rankings with four wins under his belt this season, having won the flagship BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour in May and following it with the Open Championship, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA titles in consecutive appearances.

It is therefore understandable that Watson would single out McIlroy and 'Mr Ryder Cup' Ian Poulter for special attention, but McIlroy was content to play the perfect team member ahead of Friday's opening day.

"They can try and target us all they want, but there's guys alongside us that can do just as good a job." - Rory McIlroy

"I have a job to do which is to go out and win points for Europe and I don't care what number I play or who I play with," McIlroy said.

"I wouldn't say it wouldn't be a thrill, of course, leading the team out would be a huge buzz and a great thrill.

"But no matter where I play, I've still got the same objective, which is just to win my match."

Asked to put himself in an American player's shoes and decide whether his scalp or Poulter's would give greater satisfaction, McIlroy added: "I think maybe in this format and in this environment and in the Ryder Cup, probably Poulter just because how good his record is (12 wins from 15 matches).

"I know Watson has been talking about targeting us two and whatever, but at the same time it's only one-sixth of the team.

"There's 10 other world-class players that he has to worry about as well and they are just as capable of putting points on the board for Europe.

"They can try and target us all they want, but there's guys alongside us that can do just as good a job. Someone beats me, they win a point. They win a match against me, they get a point, no more, no less."

Meanwhile, Manchester United fan McIlroy revealed he was in a "trance" listening to former Red Devils boss Alex Ferguson address the European team on Tuesday evening, the four-time major winner seeking Ferguson's advice after his meltdown in the Masters in 2011.

Ferguson was invited to Gleneagles by home captain Paul McGinley and, as a fan of the Red Devils, world number one McIlroy in particular was thrilled to listen to what Ferguson had to say.

"For me, being a Manchester United fan, it was the highlight of the week so far," said the Open champion, who paraded the Claret Jug at Old Trafford earlier this season.

"I was just sitting there and looking up at him and I didn't take my eyes off him. I was sort of in this trance just listening to everything that he was saying and I'm sort of thinking, this is all the stuff that he's probably said to Manchester United teams over the years.

"He told us a couple of stories just of past experiences in some big games and some of the players that he managed and it was a great evening. It was a really cool thing to be a part of."

McIlroy joked that the non-Manchester United fans in the team made their feelings known, adding: "But (it was) very useful because we got to ask some questions, just about different things and what he thought was the key element to being successful as a team.

"He's a very inspirational sort of man when he talks. He's got a lot of authority and the room just goes quiet and everyone listens."

"He's got a lot of authority and the room just goes quiet and everyone listens"

Asked if Ferguson had offered advice about playing in front of large crowds, the 25-year-old added: "Not about crowds in general. We play in front of big crowds week in, week out.

"United were obviously favourites and whenever he was managing, they made Old Trafford a bit of a fortress. And when teams went there, it was very hard to compete against United. He was just talking a bit about that. We're slight favourites for a reason. We deserve to be. We've played well this year. It's not something that we should shy away from. It's something that we should embrace."

"He's got a lot of authority and the room just goes quiet and everyone listens." - Rory McIlroy

It has become a habit for big names from different sports to be brought in to speak to Ryder Cup teams, McIlroy admitting the one he remembers most was speaking to Seve Ballesteros via teleconference at Celtic Manor in 2010.

And he added: "These things, they help. They are little details in the bigger picture, but it could be that half a per cent or that one per cent that helps us to get back that little trophy."

Real Madrid fan Sergio Garcia conceded he was not Ferguson's biggest fan, but added: "I think when you have the possibility of listening to somebody that has been up there in sports and been able to perform at a really high level for that long, it's always interesting to kind of pick his brain and see what things he's gone through.

"It was really, really interesting, and I'm actually glad that I got to... I think we all did, got to know him a little bit better and listen to him a little bit."

Celtic fan Stephen Gallacher revealed he had received a good luck message from former Parkhead boss Martin O'Neill, but was also impressed by Ferguson.

"I thought he was brilliant," Gallacher said. "He spoke for half an hour and then we sort of asked him some questions and he was very candid and very open. There's bits that I definitely would take away from it, not just as a team aspect, but for progression going forward.

"I kind of knew he was (a confident person) anyway, but to hear him talking you can see why the players respected him so much. You can see his sort of passion for the game and how much he loves football and how much he loves the strategy and the game.

"He misses it a bit, he said, but, you know, an absolute legend in my eyes."

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