Rory McIlroy 'in a trance' listening to Sir Alex Ferguson team talk
World No.1 golfer Rory McIlroy admitted he was in a trance listening to former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson address the European Ryder Cup team on Tuesday evening.
Ferguson was invited to Gleneagles by home captain Paul McGinley and, as a fan of the Red Devils, world number one McIlroy in particular was thrilled to listen to what Ferguson had to say.
"For me, being a Manchester United fan, it was the highlight of the week so far," said the Open champion, who paraded the Claret Jug at Old Trafford earlier this season.
"I was just sitting there and looking up at him and I didn't take my eyes off him. I was sort of in this trance just listening to everything that he was saying and I'm sort of thinking, this is all the stuff that he's probably said to Manchester United teams over the years.
"He told us a couple of stories just of past experiences in some big games and some of the players that he managed and it was a great evening. It was a really cool thing to be a part of."
McIlroy joked that the non-Manchester United fans in the team made their feelings known, adding: "But (it was) very useful because we got to ask some questions, just about different things and what he thought was the key element to being successful as a team.
"He's a very inspirational sort of man when he talks. He's got a lot of authority and the room just goes quiet and everyone listens."