Rory McIlroy clashed with three Ryder Cup team-mates and relationships completely changed

Rory McIlroy has just finished competing in his eighth Ryder Cup, but he hasn't maintained close ties with all of his former teammates. Before Sunday's victory, Team Europe last tasted victory on American soil back in 2012, but since then, McIlroy's relationships with three of his 'Miracle in Medinah' teammates have turned sour.

Team Europe claimed a rare win on American soil, only the fifth time in Ryder Cup history, after their impressive 16.5-11.5 triumph over Team USA in Rome two years ago. McIlroy has commended the consistency shown by captain Luke Donald as Team Europe built on their 2023 victory.

"Basically since 2012, the home team has won every time. But they also have won convincingly," McIlroy said before the tournament. "It's been pretty one-sided either way. So whatever team, whether that's Europe or America, that is the one to break that duck, I honestly think is going to go down as one of the best teams in Ryder Cup history."

Only McIlroy and Justin Rose remain from Team Europe's iconic 2012 triumph. However, Masters champion McIlroy subsequently had a falling out with several players who played a key role in the 'Miracle in Medinah'.

Rory McIlroy's friendship with Sergio Garcia

They first teamed up for the Ryder Cup in 2012, but their friendship was strained due to the rift between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. McIlroy revealed to the Irish Independent that their relationship took a turn on the Friday of the US Open in 2022: "I woke up to a text that was sent at 5:30 that morning.

"He had an early tee time, I didn't, and I woke up to this text basically telling me to shut up about LIV, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I was pretty offended and sent him back a couple of daggers and that was it.

A year later, Garcia admitted he had tried to mend their friendship after McIlroy spoke to the Spanish golfer's wife. "That kind of gave me the go-ahead to reach out to him," Garcia said in 2023."

"I had been thinking about it for a while but I wasn't totally sure about it. And when I saw that reaction from him, he kind of gave me the go-ahead to get closer. We had a great chat. It was two friends that wanted to get back to that spot. That's the most important thing."

Despite this, McIlroy made another sharp comment towards Garcia amid the ongoing PGA-LIV divide last year: "Yeah, Sergio feels he deserves a lot of things."

However, Garcia has maintained that they are now friends again.

Rory McIlroy's relationship with Ian Poulter

McIlroy's original position towards golfers departing the PGA for LIV was at the heart of his rift with Ian Poulter. McIlroy expressed "resentment" when Poulter and fellow players battled to participate at the 2022 Scottish Open after committing to join the rebel circuit."

"The whole cake-and-eat-it type of attitude is what the resentment stems from within the PGA Tour and DP World Tour membership," McIlroy told BBC Sport. "That's the tricky part."

Subsequently that year, McIlroy mentioned Poulter and other Ryder Cup legends as he outlined his emotions regarding the fresh division within golf. "I think it is the first time in my life that I have felt betrayal, in a way.

"It's an unfamiliar feeling to me," McIlroy said. "You build bonds with these people through Ryder Cups and other things. Them knowing that what they are about to do is going to jeopardise them from being a part of that ever again?"

Meanwhile, Poulter criticised other golfers who mirrored McIlroy's efforts of attempting to heal the split between the PGA and LIV last year. Nevertheless, the 49-year-old maintained that his grievance was not with McIlroy.

"Just for clarity, I applauded Rory McIlroy for his comments a few weeks ago," Poulter said on social media. "It takes a lot to say the things he said.

Rory McIlroy's fallout with Lee Westwood

Lee Westwood was another prominent golfer who switched to LIV in 2022, prompting McIlroy to reassess his relationships with several former Ryder Cup colleagues.

"I wouldn't say I've got much of a relationship with them at the minute," McIlroy acknowledged that September, when questioned about Garcia, Poulter and Westwood. Westwood didn't mince his words last year whilst defending his choice to join LIV, claiming that the departing players were deliberately portrayed negatively.

"I think a lot of those people are now starting to understand that they were being brainwashed by certain people with just purely financial motivations on their mind," Westwood said on the Fairway to Heaven podcast.

"They were making up these stories and trying to give people these ideas about us players that were going to LIV just to really forge their case with the public, and convince the public that we were bad and they were good."

Despite McIlroy moderating his position towards LIV, the Masters champion opposed veteran players, such as Westwood and Poulter, becoming future Ryder Cup captains. He contended that their switch to LIV had damaged their relationships with fellow players on the PGA Tour.

"I think it's hard because we don't really see them anymore," McIlroy admitted in February. "You look at what [current captain] Luke [Donald] has done the last few years, he's really making an effort to be around the players, making the players feel comfortable with him, those who haven't had a chance yet to be on a team or trying to make a team.

"With the guys that left, Poulter, Westwood, how can these young up-and-comers build a rapport with them when they are never here? You can't see them."