Rory McIlroy might be competing in his eighth Ryder Cup for Team Europe and going for his sixth win this weekend, but he praised the United States — the rival country he’ll square off against at Bethpage Black — during his press conference Thursday.

“Everyone wanted to make it in America,” McIlroy said, when asked about his impressions of the country as a child and how his thoughts are either similar or different after living there. “It’s the land of opportunity. And I still believe it’s the best country in the world, and if you come here and work hard and dedicate yourself, you can be or do whatever you want.

“I am unbelievably grateful and lucky that I got to come to America early on. I think success is celebrated here. I think there’s a wonderful sense of work ethic. And yeah, I live

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