In terms of instability, the whole palaver stoked up by the LIV Golf rebellion was broadly equivalent to the Crisis of the Third Century which almost brought the Roman Empire to its knees. And yes, when in Rome we’ll get as many tenuous links to the past in as possible during Ryder Cup week here at Marco Simone.

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, is keen to look to the future. He’s not avoiding what’s gone before, however. As Team Europe changes its guard, sturdy stalwarts like Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will be sitting on the couch watching affairs unravel on the tele. Or they might just avoid it and walk the dog and do some pottering chores around their mansions.

Whatever they are getting up to, McIlroy believes they will rue missing the Ryder Cup more than their absence will be felt by Team Europe. The decision by Garcia, Poulter and Westwood to resign from the DP World Tour and jump on board the Saudi-backed LIV Golf gravy train essentially ended their hopes of any Ryder Cup involvement.

Henrik Stenson, another linchpin of Team Europe, was sacked as captain when he announced he too was joining the money-sodden rebellion and was replaced by Luke Donald.

The breakdown in relationships was so severe, it would’ve led to marriage counsellors requiring counselling. Garcia, the all-time leading points winner in the biennial battle, did make a belated, desperate and forlorn bid to cosy his way back into the fold by attempting to build bridges between himself and the tour’s high heid yins. It didn’t work.

A surprising amnesty was agreed when the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund unveiled plans for an eye-popping alliance which could open the door for LIV defectors to return to the Ryder Cup scene as either players or backroom team members. That won’t be sorted in a hurry though.

“It’s certainly a little strange not having them around,” said McIlroy. “But I think this week of all weeks, it’s going to hit home with them that they are not here. They are going to miss being here more than we’re missing them.

“This week is a realisation that the decision that they made has led to them not being a part of this week and that’s tough. The landscape in golf is ever-changing and more dynamic and we’ll see what happens and whether they will be part of it in the future. I always thought leading up to this week is when it’s going to hit home that they are not going to be here.”

McIlroy is making his seventh appearance in the Ryder Cup, the most by any player competing this week. Not bad for a man who once described the whole thing as nothing more than an “exhibition” a year before he made a debut in 2010. The folly of youth, eh?

“I took a bit of grief for those comments, and rightfully so,” he said with a wry smile. “In 2009, I was just so focused on myself and trying to get my career off the ground and I just didn't put any emphasis on making a Ryder Cup team. But when you make one, you never want to be off one.”

Despite his status as a veteran of the Ryder Cup frontline, McIlroy is not one for Churchillian acts of soaring oratory. “I’m not there giving rallying cries and speeches,” he said. “When we came on the practice trip I said to every guy, I don’t want anyone looking up to me. I want them looking over to me. I want them to see me like I’m on their level and there’s no hierarchy on our team. I guess that’s the one message I’ve tried to relay to some of the younger guys on the team.”

McIlroy’s last Ryder Cup outing in 2021 ended in tears. The 34-year-old contributed just one point during the grisly 19-9 walloping at Whistling Straits and then delivered an emotional, dewy-eyed interview in the aftermath of his futile singles win.

“I got a lot of confidence and belief in myself that Sunday singles because I certainly wasn’t believing in myself at that time, but the rest of my team did believe in me and sent me out as number one to get a blue point on the board,” he said.

McIlroy will be hoping that board has a few more European points on it this weekend.