They huddled up together as quickly as they could, and why wouldn’t they? Rory McIlroy had a message for them. Far from Scotland, where the last Walker Cup was held, this time in California, just as the Great Britain and Ireland team was getting ready to tee it up, someone’s phone buzzed. According to Golf Channel reporter Brentley Romine, McIlroy recorded a lengthy message and sent it directly to the squad the night before their opener.

“As someone who played a Walker Cup and wasn’t able to quite get it done, and then to go on to play Ryder Cups and be able to beat the Yanks in their own backyard, nothing feels better.” If you want the sound of intent, that’s it. It’s the voice of a player who has lived the arc: Walker Cup hopeful, Ryder Cup warrior, a man who finally closed the ch

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