Phil Mickelson's biographer endorses Rory McIlroy for Player of the Year after Ryder Cup win

Phil Mickelson's biographer, Alan Shipnuck, cheered for Rory McIlroy to be the Player of the Year after his impressive performance at the Ryder Cup. The European team retained its title at the biennial tournament on foreign soil. The Northern Irish golfer contributed 3.5 points.

Following the Ryder Cup, Shipnuck, author of Phil: The Rip Roaring (and Unauthorized) Biography of Golf's Most Colourful Superstar, replied to a fan on his X (formerly Twitter) account. The fan asked him if Rory McIlroy losing the Ryder Cup would have "changed anything for POY."

In response to the fan, Shipnuck wrote:

"No way! Rory delivered 3.5 points and led his team to an epic road win in the most brutal arena golf has ever seen. Scottie went 1-4 and dragged down the U.S. This Ryder Cup clinches POY for Rory. And he’s still gonna win the Race to Dubai and Aussie Open at Royal Melbourne."

Alan Shipnuck

@AlanShipnuck

No way! Rory delivered 3.5 points and led his team to an epic road win in the most brutal arena golf has ever seen. Scottie went 1-4 and dragged down the U.S. This Ryder Cup clinches POY for Rory. And he’s still gonna win the Race to Dubai and Aussie Open at Royal Melbourne.

Rory McIlroy had an impressive season playing on the PGA Tour in 2025. He started his campaign on the circuit with a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He then won The Players and the Masters, the fifth major title of his career.

McIlroy also won the Amgen Irish Open on the DP World Tour this season, and then his European team won the Ryder Cup.

Scottie Scheffler has also been phenomenal with his game in 2025 and has won six PGA Tour events, which included two major titles as well: the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. However, he had a tough time on the greens at the Bethpage Blank Course playing at the Ryder Cup.

Scheffler and McIlroy are the strong contenders for the Player of the Year award this season.

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Rory McIlroy shares a four-word message after winning the Ryder Cup

On Monday, Rory McIlroy shared a heartfelt video on his Instagram account of his Ryder Cup outings over the years. He celebrated his team's win in 2025 with a four-word caption:

"Our time. Their place."

Rory McIlroy has won three games and one resulted in a tie at the Ryder Cup 2025. He lost to Scottie Scheffler in the Sunday singles of the event. Following the tournament, he opened up about his team's win and said (via ASAP Sports):

"It's nice to be right. I'm not right all the time. I have absolute confidence in this team, absolute confidence in our leader, Luke Donald. The vice captains, the backroom staff, the things that people don't see behind the scenes. I think we won in Rome, and the wheels were set in motion to try to do something that had not been done in over a decade."

For the Europe team, Tommy Fleetwood has scored the highest at the Ryder Cup 2025. He recorded four points. He won his fourball and foursomes game on Friday and Saturday, but lost against Justin Thomas in Sunday singles.