SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — The Latest on the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National (all times local):
9:45 a.m.
Jon Rahm was willing to show some deference as one of five European rookies at the Ryder Cup. That didn't last long, especially when it came to the social media network that Europe is using this week.
Rahm and Rory McIlroy played together during the first practice sessions, and McIlroy was hitting it well past him off the tee. When they finished, Rahm was on the massage table and had fallen asleep because of jet lag. He says McIlroy took a picture of him in nothing but his underwear, posted it on the team WhatsApp network and said the Spaniard couldn't handle McIlroy outdriving him.
Rahm laughs telling the story and says all bets were off at that point.
"Once I realized what the tone was going to be, within 30 seconds, here we go," Rahm said. "It's pretty much free-wheel to say what you want to anybody, which is obviously a great thing because we all have a lot of fun."
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9:15 a.m.
Rory McIlroy says the goal for Europe in the Ryder Cup is to beat the Americans, not just Tiger Woods.
McIlroy was paired in the final group with Woods at East Lake when the 14-time major champion won for the first time in more than five years. Woods has been the dominant figure in golf for the better part of two decades, and he created an enormous buzz with his 80th career victory.
This week, Woods is one of 12 players on a U.S. team that has not won the Ryder Cup on European soil since 1993, when Woods was still in high school.
McIlroy says it's silly to focus on one player and that he might not even see Woods at Le Golf National if they are not in the same match.
