Rory McIlroy admits his first Ryder Cup loss hurts but accepts it may have been what the event needed to keep its competitive edge
The Northern Irishman not only suffered overall defeat after three successive wins but was also beaten in singles for the first time, taken down by Patrick Reed in a thrilling contest at the top of the order which went all the way to the 18th green.
McIlroy admits he ran out of gas towards the end after his efforts to drag Europe back into it after their 4-0 opening day foursomes whitewash.
"Yeah, it does hurt. It's disappointing for us as a team and for me personally, taking on the role to go out and put a blue point on the board, I didn't do my job," he said.
"We would definitely like to be feeling what the Americans are feeling right now.
"But saying that, they haven't felt this for a while. It's been eight years since they felt this feeling.
"They deserve it. They deserve their moment. We'll come back better and stronger in Paris."
He added: "It's disappointing, obviously, but I think it's good for golf. I think it keeps the Ryder Cup interesting going into France in a couple of years' time.
"Not that we need any more incentive but we're going to want to get it back on our home turf next time."
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