Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
More than a routine look at genius of Rory Mcilroy
SIMPLE routines are now the norm in the coronavirus bubble – that’s what a global pandemic and societal lockdown does to your daily life.
Thankfully, golfers are well accustomed to routine and having played on tour, I know the top players will cope with Groundhog Day.
They have an ability to do the same things over and over again without question, tweaking and adapting ever so slightly as they go.
As a player, I was fortunate to rub shoulders with a lot of top players and characters. In the weeks ahead, I’m going to take you closer to a few of them.
First up is four-time major winner and current World No1 Rory Mcilroy.
I came across this golfing genius for the first time at the 2005 Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.
It was a memorable experience.
I met him on the putting green and as a fellow Irish golfer, I wanted to wish him well.
He was an amateur back then but my first impression was he had the one quality all young kids need to survive and make it in the sport – attitude.
He had his collar turned up and exuded an air of authority, which is remarkable given he was a teenager.
It didn’t happen for him that week, but I was struck by his body language.
It was as if he was saying: I’m here to perform – just watch me.
Don’t get me wrong, while Rory is confident, he was never cocky.
Over confidence often masks a deep-seated insecurity, and that wasn’t part of his make-up.
After he got his card, we played a few practice rounds together in 2007 and 2008 and I got to see his burgeoning talent up close.
How would I describe his game back then? Well, he was still raw and played with all the innocence and exuberance of youth, but he had gears. Lots of then.
He always showed something special and hit shots regular players could only dream of.
We played quite regularly back then as his former caddie JP Fitzgerald was an old friend and it was a pleasure to see such style and power at close quarters.
The last time I played with Rory was at the Emirates Club on the Tuesday of the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic.
Andrew Coltart and I played Rory and Anton Haig for a few quid in practice and we gave it everything, but it still wasn’t enough.
We only took them to the 16th.
Rory went on to pocket that week’s winner’s purse of €323,500 and the rest is history.
Looking back, that shootout for dough in Dubai feels like a sliding doors moment.
Coltart and I are retired while Haig is trying to revive his career on the secondary tours.
Mcilroy, meanwhile, sits top of the pile.
It has been no surprise seeing him get to where he is and the scary thing is he has enhanced his game pretty much year-onyear.
Progress and improvement have become routine to Rory.