CHASKA, Minn. -- He has never experienced defeat at the Ryder Cup and has been a key contributor in his three appearances, so Rory McIlroy might not have the same chip on his shoulder that has typically been part of the European mantra.
For so much of Ryder Cup history, Great Britain and Ireland, and later Europe, used what it perceived as second-class status to the mighty Americans as incentive -- a tactic seemingly unnecessary when you've captured three in a row, and eight of the last 10.
But, of course, there are other ways.
"I don't think it's hard for us to find motivation, because anywhere you look, whether it be the sea of red you see on the golf course or the comments that are made in the media by the U.S. team or by the captain, that gives us so much motivation already,'' McIlroy said Tuesday at Hazeltine National, site of this week's Ryder Cup.
"Whenever we are going up against one of the greatest teams ever assembled, that's motivation enough, just to say how good a victory this would be if we got out and beat these guys on their home soil.''
McIlroy was taking a not-so-subtle jab at U.S. captain Davis Love III, who last week said in a radio interview that this U.S. team was the "best maybe ever assembled,'' although Love said his comments were made in a broader sense and have been taken out of context.
"What I was saying was, 'This is what I'd tell them: You guys are really good. Go out there and play like it,''' Love said.
Certainly the U.S. needs to give Europe no extra fodder, especially the captain. Johnny Miller, the two-time major champion and TV analyst, didn't help when he suggested the European team is "its worst in years.''
But judging by McIlroy's take as well as that of Sergio Garcia, their European teammates will use it to gain any advantage they can.
"They are motivating factors,'' said Garcia, who is playing in his eighth Ryder Cup and has been on just two losing sides. "You know what they say, opinions are like ... we all have one. At the end of the day, you don't win Ryder Cups with your mouth. You win them out there on the golf course.''
When first told of Love's comments last week at the Tour Championship, McIlroy quipped that he knows the U.S. has "the best task force ever assembled,'' a reference to the often-chided U.S. Ryder Cup Task Force that was formed in the wake of the 16½ to 11½ defeat at Gleneagles two years ago.
"Yeah, obviously I've followed everything and I've had a bit of fun with it, with the task force, greatest team ever assembled, whatever else they are talking about,'' McIlroy said. "But it's going to be tough this week. Every Ryder Cup is.
"Even though Europe has had so much success, it's always been [tough]. Maybe apart from the last time at Gleneagles, but the other two -- we shouldn't have won in 2012, we shouldn't have. It was a sort of steal and grab and go away. It was unbelievable how that worked out.
"And even at Celtic Manor in 2010, we only won one session, but it was that session where all 12 players were on the golf course [due to weather delays] and we won that session 5½ to ½. So the Ryder Cup has probably been a lot tighter than people realize. I'm sure it's going to be that way again this year. It's going to be tough.''
McIlroy takes a good bit of confidence into the Ryder Cup after his playoff victory on Sunday at the Tour Championship, where he also captured the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup.
After a season that was mostly disappointing (he did win earlier on the European Tour at the Irish Open), McIlroy won twice during the FedEx Cup playoffs and capped it with a birdie putt on the fourth-extra hole to beat Ryan Moore -- who Love selected Sunday night as his final at-large pick for Team USA.
"Personally for me, it's all about I'm confident in my game,'' said McIlroy, who is 6-4-4 in his three Ryder Cups. "I'm confident coming here, and I feel like I'm playing pretty well. I don't know how much bearing it will have on the team as a whole. I'm very excited to get going again and play, just happy with where my game is.''