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\u201cHe said, \u2018But you\u2019re teeing off in 25 minutes\u2019. I said, \u2018No, I\u2019m not, it\u2019s an hour and 25\u2019. He said, \u2018You\u2019re taking the mick, you are at the golf course\u2019. And I said, \u2018No I\u2019m not\u2019. He said, \u2018Well, you\u2019d better get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIlroy\u2019s absence was no secret. Fans and the assembled media had noticed that he had not yet arrived, with staff panicking over a potentially embarrassing scenario where he was late for his tee-off. The golf icon would have been disqualified.\u00a0<\/p>\n
PGA of America transport official Erica Stoll was concerned that McIlroy had not been ticked off in her arrivals log less than an hour before his match. She contacted colleague Maggie Budzar who was at the team hotel, which was 12 miles away.<\/p>\n
Budzar said: \u201cIt was 10.30am. I knew his tee time was 11.25 and he was the third group to go off and we still hadn\u2019t seen him. There was a huge crowd here waiting to video and photograph the players, so everyone knew he hadn\u2019t come down yet.<\/p>\n
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DON’T MISS… <\/strong> \u201cThe crowd were getting nervous, asking where he was, so I just lied and said he had already left. Then I started getting worried that something had happened to him or that he had taken a different ride to the course.\u201d<\/p>\n McIlroy was finally whisked to the course in an unmarked police car with, amusingly, the \u00adsirens blaring. He made it with 10 minutes to spare.\u00a0<\/p>\n Budzar continued: \u201cRory went straight to the front seat of the trooper\u2019s car. That was about 10.52. There was a sense of panic by then. He was on the phone, saying to someone he thought his tee time was 12.25pm. He was \u00adwalking really fast.\u201d<\/p>\n McIlroy added: \u201cHe (police car driver) asked me if I got motion sickness and I said, \u2018I don\u2019t care, just get me to that first tee\u2019. I was just lucky he could put the lights on and get me past all the traffic. I\u2019ve never been as frightened going to a golf course in my life.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce I got out on the golf course, I calmed down a bit. Keegan said to me, \u2018Is everything OK, no-one\u2019s hurt or anything?\u2019 And I told him everything was fine.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first few shots weren\u2019t good but I knew if I could hang in there for the first six holes I would be fine. I was two-up after six.\u201d<\/p>\n McIlroy and Team Europe will hope for a much less eventful Ryder Cup this year. The tournament gets underway in Rome today, with Team Europe unbeaten on home soil in 30 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Ryder Cup star has ‘a chip on his shoulder’ after leaving rude fan red-faced[FEATURE] <\/strong>
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Ryder Cup speech and three key tips for Team Europe[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/71\/590x\/secondary\/4983499.jpg?r=1695910407954\")
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