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Rory McIlroy believes Europe's Ryder Cup team should follow Grand Slam record holder Novak Djokovic's example when it comes to dealing with American hostility in New York later this month.
The Serbian, a keen golfer himself, delivered a pep talk to the team prior to their resounding victory in Rome two years ago and last week McIlroy was pictured courtside watching him at the US Open just hours after finishing the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
McIlroy, at the K Club near Dublin for this week's Irish Open, tuned in on Tuesday night to see Djokovic beat home favourite Taylor Fritz in the quarter-final and believes he picked up a few tips ahead of the trip to a boisterous Bethpage.
"It was a very pro-American crowd. He's been the best at handling that," said the world number two, who won his only Irish Open title nine years ago on this course.
"He's had to deal with it his whole life, whether it's playing against an American in New York or playing against Roger (Federer) or Rafa (Nadal).
"He came and spoke to us a little bit about that stuff last time in Rome, so maybe (it's about) taking a leaf out of his book and channelling that energy the right way.
"All we can do is control our reaction and our emotions to it. I think the less we play into it, the better it is for us."
After Luke Donald made his six captain's picks on Monday, meaning an unprecedented 11 of the 12 victorious in Rome will head to the States, McIlroy said it was the "right 12 players".
And following a landmark year personally when he completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, he is looking to surpass his own expectations.
"Obviously I'd love to win this week, I'd love to win next week at Wentworth (the BMW Championship)," added the Northern Irishman, who has signed up to captain a four-man team against world number one Scottie Scheffler in the Golf Channel Games in December at Trump National Golf Club in Florida.
"But if we were to win an away Ryder Cup with everything else that I've been through this year, 2025 would be the best year of my career."
Shane Lowry, who won the 2009 Irish Open on debut as an amateur, was one of Donald's captain's picks and believes many of his counterparts are rooting for a European win.
"You're getting well wishes off everybody. It's not even just the Europeans on tour, it's the other guys, the Kiwis or the South Africans," he said.
"I think everyone has a want for the European Ryder Cup team to win this Ryder Cup."
Donald is also teeing it up in Ireland but the Ryder Cup's record points scorer Sergio Garcia has pulled out, reportedly after failing to make the team.
"Sergio is disappointed like all the others who felt like they might have had a chance to make the team. He fully understood that the Irish was after the qualification," said Donald.
"Unfortunately with Sergio I felt like his form wasn't quite good enough to make a team full of so many people playing well."
Donald also dispelled any concerns over Sepp Straka, who withdrew from the penultimate FedEx Cup event last month due to personal reasons and is the only member of Europe's Ryder Cup team not playing next week at Wentworth.
"Everything is okay. Nothing is official, but him and his wife welcomed a baby a few weeks ago," he said.
"Everything is going extremely well with their baby. He just doesn't want to be so far away. I think that's only fair.
"I've had many conversations with Sepp. He's very motivated and he's going to continue to work on his game."
