RORY MCILROY
titles have come readily wherever he has played. He’s won most of the big ones, too: The Players, the World Golf Championships and all but one of the Majors. The last of these, however, came nearly six years ago. He’s stalled on four, winless in 20 – too long for a player of his talent. If Major victories are the ultimate measure of greatness, where does he stand? The next ten years will determine this.
We’re all willing him on. He’s been a fans’ favourite ever since he burst on to the scene with that curly mop of hair and schoolboy smile. We marvelled at the swing and we enjoyed listening to him, too. “I’ve been getting interviewed since I was about seven or eight years old. I’m pretty good at this talking thing, I think,” he quipped in a press conference at his first Major (the 2007 Open), where he won the Silver Medal for low amateur. It didn’t take long before he backed up all the hype.
The season following his maiden European Tour victory, he recorded his first win in America. It came at Quail Hollow, where he made the cut on the number before firing a course-record 62 in the final round to win by four. “He is some kind of player,” said runner-up Phil Mickelson. “He’s 20, but he’s got the game of a veteran. This guy has got all the shots.” He really did, and it sent a message of intent. At 20, he was the youngest player to win on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods. The floodgates were about to open.
Which is what happened, sort of, although much like one of his rounds, his career has been a bit of a rollercoaster. The first dramatic plunge came at the 2011 Masters – the errant tee shot on 10 and the subsequent trip to the cabins among the pines. A blow-by-blow account is not required. We remember it all too well, sadly. Charl Schwartzel birdied the final four holes, something that often gets forgotten. Mcilroy’s collapse was the story; the South African wasn’t supposed to win.
It was a chastening experience, yet despite the heartbreak of losing a four-shot lead, he handled the aftermath with real class. Win or lose, he’s rarely anything but. “I was leading this golf tournament with nine holes to go, and I just unravelled,” he said. “I think it’s a Sunday at a Major, what it can do. This is my first experience at it, and hopefully the next time I’m in this position I’ll be able to handle it a little better. I’ll come out stronger for it.”
And he did. They do say you learn more in defeat than in victory. What is for sure, we learned a great deal about Mcilroy over the weeks and months that followed his Masters agony. In his very next Major start – the US Open at Congressional – he led from start to finish. It was a truly remarkable show of resilience. He lapped the field and, at 22, became the youngest Major Champion since Woods in 1997.
The man from Holywood was the heir-apparent to the great American, of that there was no doubt. He was on an upward curve now. Golf couldn’t have chosen a better role model. Young and compelling to watch, he was the perfect ambassador for the game. He was popular, too, as happy signing Rory wigs for the fans as he was talking openly with the media. Following the high of the US Open, however, he came back down to earth with a bump after enduring a miserable weekend at Royal St George’s, where he fired rounds of 74 and 73 to blow his chances of a first Claret Jug. “I’m not a fan of golf tournaments where the outcome is predicted so much by the weather,” he grumbled. Mcilroy was – and still is – nothing but forthright.
This became obvious very early on in his career, and it only adds to the intrigue. In 2009, he labelled the Ryder Cup as “an
exhibition” and added, “it’s not that important of an event for me”. The audacity of this young man trying to downplay one of sport’s greatest events. It caused a stir, but no harm was done. Over time, he’s learned to be more diplomatic, although he still delivers a straight answer. He’s honest to a fault, is Rory, yet his willingness to speak his mind should be applauded. The moment he stops doing so... well, let’s hope that never happens.
The rollercoaster ride continued. Major victory number two came the following season in the USPGA at Kiawah Island. The winning margin, as it had been at Congressional, was eight. Mcilroy was blazing a trail – wherever he went, records tumbled.
It was inevitable that the talk should turn to how many Majors he would win. As many as Woods? Even Jack Nicklaus’ haul of 18 was part of the conversation. The following year, however, he went cold – no Majors. A mini crisis was brewing.
For the best in the business, you can’t go too long without winning. Soon, it’s a drought, and questions start getting asked. Mcilroy’s struggles were not part of the script. In January 2013, his place among the sporting elite was confirmed when he signed with Nike. He instantly became one of
I FIRST HEARD of Rory Mcilroy when he was a young lad. Darren Clarke actually told me about this kid when he was about 14. The first I really saw of him was when he had a good Open at Carnoustie. But it was the 2007 Dunhill Links, the year he got his card, when I really got to see Rory up close and start to get to know him. He was such a nice kid then. He started on the tour with my old caddie, Gordon Faulkner, who was with me a lot during my good golf, so we had that in common.
To go and win by so many shots so fast at the US Open at Congressional just really opened my eyes to a great player. He comes from an unbelievable mother and father. Gerry and Rose are just such down to earth people. They couldn’t ever change. If Rory ever got above his station, I think it would be Rose more than Gerry who’d kick him in the arse. They’d have no hesitation whatsoever. They’re always there; I see them all the time and I walk around the course with them. Gerry’s pretty relaxed out there, he’s got total faith in his son. Rose gets a bit nervous. She likes to be left alone but I talk to them all the time and they are down to earth, straight-up people and that has kept him very well grounded.
We all know how hard his parents worked to give Rory the opportunity.
They are still working hard in the respect of being there for their son and being close. They spend most of their time down in West Palm Beach where Rory lives. They don’t come out on tour as much because Gerry plays golf and Rose stays at home and relaxes, but they’re both still out there a lot.
They were there at The Players. It’s an unbelievable family. I stand there in awe sometimes and say, “Yeah, this is how it all works”. It’s nice when it works out, because there are hundreds and thousands of families that look after their son or daughter to make them a good player. This one has worked and it’s a really nice thing to witness.
It’s mind blowing sometimes. I get to watch the best players in the world, constantly. Last year, I watched Brooks beat Rory badly in Memphis on the last day, and then we get to East Lake a month later and Rory whips Brooks. When they’re on song, they demolish