Intro:

2011 U.S. Open Champion Rory McIlroy said on Tuesday (16th June) that he believes there is a correlation between success at the Ryder Cup and then going onto win majors. The World Number 1 was speaking ahead of the US Open which starts on Thursday.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Rory McIlroy (on correlation between the Ryder Cup and European players success):

"Honestly I think there's a direct correlation between Europeans winning Ryder Cups and Europeans winning major championships. I think it's given Europeans the confidence to come over here and compete, three of the four major championships are in this country and most likely you're competing against players that you compete against at the Ryder Cup. So I think having that success in the Ryder Cup has translated into major victories for European players."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Rory McIlroy (on why he thinks he is the best player in golf):

"I guess for me I feel the same way, when I look at the World Rankings and I see my name up at the top. If you look back for the last four or five years, I guess I've won more majors than anyone else in that time period. So do I feel like the best player in the world? Yes. And obviously I want to go out every week and try to back that up and show that."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Rory McIlroy, on the difficulty of Chambers Bay:

"No, I think a place like this can separate the field a lot. This is the sort of golf course that if you're just slightly off, it'll magnify that. But it'll really reward people that are hitting good shots and are confident and their short games are sharp. I definitely think this is the sort of golf course that you could see the guys that are really playing well and are confident with the setup and how they approach it, they could really separate themselves from the rest of the field."