Rory McIlroy’s latest Ryder Cup prediction has sparked mixed reactions among golf fans, with many questioning his confidence ahead of the 2025 edition. The Northern Irishman had delivered a motivational message to the Great Britain and Ireland squad before the start of the 50th Walker Cup.Rory McIlroy, who played the event earlier in his career, spoke about his own experience of falling short before going on to enjoy Ryder Cup success, including Europe’s famous comeback win at Medinah in 2012. He encouraged the GB&I players and closed with a confident declaration:“Please beat them because I know we’re going to beat them at Bethpage.”After NUCLR Golf shared his bold remarks on X, fans quickly weighed in. One user bluntly wrote,"Rory's gonna get his as* kicked at Bethpage"Another fan reacted,"A lot of confidence from Rory""Rory is gonna regret that in 3 weeks when his team is getting their a*s kicked," said a fan.Another pointed out Europe’s recent struggles, writing,"NONE of the Euros are in decent form rn. They are going to get their a*s handed to them in NY."Some, however, backed Rory McIlroy’s confidence:"💯 I think Europe have the stronger team. Their bond is something the US has tried and failed to reproduce. The US won at Whistling Straits in a Covid year so the odds were well stacked against Europe, having hardly any fans there."One even added,"Rory really leaning into the whole don’t like America thing. Gotta respect it"Others called out his personal life, given that McIlroy has lived in Jupiter, Florida, since purchasing a home there in 2012. A fan quipped,"Rory has lived in the USA for over 10 years… Whata his problem"A screenshot of Fan reactions on NUCLR Golf's post (via X).Team Europe defeated the U.S. in the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, and the 45th edition is scheduled to take place from September 26–28, 2025, at Bethpage Black in New York.Rory McIlroy targets Ryder Cup winRory McIlroy has set his sights on a Ryder Cup win to round off what he considers the best year of his career. He completed his long-awaited career grand slam at Augusta in April, ending an 11-year major drought with his Masters victory.His form since then has been mixed, with a T12 finish at the BMW Championship and T23 at the Tour Championship, but Rory McIlroy remains confident about what lies ahead. He is competing at this week’s Irish Open before heading to the BMW PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup later in September."I guess it's the year that everything came together for me. It was basically the one piece of the puzzle that was left for me to complete. When I look at my career and my whole picture as a golfer, I've basically done everything I wanted to. I guess everything after that it's a bonus, but you have to reassess your goals," McIlroy said on Wednesday ahead of the DP World Tour's Irish Open.He admitted that winning an away Ryder Cup would be the ultimate highlight of 2025. McIlroy acknowledged the challenge, noting that home teams have dominated the competition for the last decade. Even so, he backed Luke Donald’s selection, describing Europe’s lineup as the strongest and most experienced group in recent years."There's a reason every Ryder Cup for the last 10 years has gone to the home team. They have a big advantage from the set-up of the course to how partisan the crowd is...They have a very strong team. They're going to have a pretty raucous crowd on their side and on a golf course that a lot of them know pretty well from previous tournaments. But I love the team that Luke has assembled," he added.A seven-time Ryder Cup player, Rory McIlroy has been part of five European wins and two losses. Individually, he owns a record of 16 wins, 13 defeats, and four ties, collecting 18 points in total. That places him eighth on the all-time points list, with 54.5% of possible points earned.