Little Rest for McIlroy Before the Ryder Cup

NORTON, Mass. - Rory McIlroy turned 25 in May and is playing the best golf of his career. He said he briefly considered taking a week off to rest for next month's Ryder Cup, as three of his 30-something teammates are doing this week. He just as quickly dismissed it.

Sergio García and Justin Rose are absent from this week's Deutsche Bank Championship, the second leg of the four-tournament FedEx Cup. They are taking time off for the Ryder Cup, to be played Sept. 25-28 in Scotland. Graeme McDowell, 35, whose qualification for the team is still uncertain, also took the week off to be with his wife for the delivery of a baby girl on Monday.

McIlroy, García, Rose and McDowell were all part of the 2012 European team that staged a stirring comeback to keep the Cup.

McIlroy, who has qualified for the Ryder Cup, plans to play next week at the BMW Championship outside Denver and the Tour Championship the next week in Atlanta. He would then have a week off before the Ryder Cup.

'There are a few things in golf I still have not achieved, and the FedEx Cup is one of them,' McIlroy said.

McIlroy, who won the British Open and the P.G.A. Championship this year, added: 'It would be great to win. I feel like this season deserves a good finish.'

McIlroy said he understood why his Northern Ireland compatriot McDowell is not here. 'I'd be worried if he was,' he said after his pro-am round at TPC Boston.

He said that Rose had moved his family to the Bahamas and that Rose's children were starting school this week.

'He wanted to be there for that,' McIlroy said. 'I completely understand.'

'Sergio, he feels like he doesn't want to be burned up before the Ryder Cup. Again, that's his call.'

'I'd have no problem missing a tournament because of something that came up in my personal life,' McIlroy said. 'But right now, it's just me and I'm happy to play any week that I need to. I feel good. I feel fresh.'

The defending Deutsche Bank champion Henrik Stenson, who won the FedEx Cup last year, also has a secure spot on the European Ryder Cup team. Like McIlory, he plans to play to the end. Unlike McIlroy, he must play well this week and next week to ensure his spot in the 30-player Tour Championship field.

'I don't have the luxury of taking a week off if I want to keep going,' Stenson said. 'For me, I'm playing as long as I'm in it.'

The selection formula for the European team is complicated, combining points earned from European events along with points from other world tournaments. Eight of the nine automatic places appear to be secured. McDowell is No. 9, but would lose that spot if the Scotsman Stephen Gallacher finishes first or second in this weekend's Italian Open. Gallacher shot even-par 72 Thursday in the first round, tied for 65th. The European team captain, Paul McGinley, will make his final three picks on Tuesday.

'Paul's going to have a tough decision to make,' McIlroy said. 'There are a few guys that in previous years would have been able to make the team on merit, and haven't. He's got a couple of tricky decisions to make.'

McIlroy said he had not been consulted about the picks, nor did he expect to be.

Among the possibilities for McGinley are Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Francesco Molinari, who shares the first-round lead of the Italian Open. All have previous Ryder Cup experience, including 2012.

The first nine members of the United States Ryder Cup team are set, with the P.G.A. Championship being the last tournament to collect points. Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson and Patrick Reed qualified for the team after the P.G.A. Six others had already qualified.

The United States team captain, Tom Watson, will announce his final three picks on Tuesday.

Hunter Mahan, last week's winner at the Barclays and a two-time Ryder Cup member, is hoping to be one of those picks. He said Thursday that he received a congratulatory text from Watson after the Barclays, adding: 'I love where my game is at right now. This is the time of year I want to be playing.'

Mahan, who leads the FedEx Cup standings (McIlroy is No. 2), is among several possible captain's picks - along with Keegan Bradley, who made his Ryder Cup debut in 2012, Brandt Snedeker, Brendan Todd, Ryan Moore and Webb Simpson. Both Jason Dufner and Steve Stricker are injured; Stricker, however, is one of Watson's vice-captains and has played in the last three Ryder Cups.

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