After taking a swipe at Trump, Rory’s
RORY McILROY will come out swinging once again today, albeit in more conventional fashion.
A day after making headlines with his forthright condemnation of US President Donald Trump, the world number one is the main attraction in a charity Skins game in Florida that signals the return of live golf action.
Sixty-five days after his wonderful run of seven consecutive top-seven finishes was interrupted by the world slipping from its axis, McIlroy will partner Dustin Johnson against Rickie Fowler and American newcomer Matt Wolff in a match sponsored by TaylorMade that will raise millions for Covid-19 relief.
One novelty will be the sight of all four players carrying their own bags, after McIlroy rejected the idea of motoring around in a cart. ‘This is the first time we’ll be showcasing the game and I thought it would be a good way to show that golf is the perfect sport when it comes to social distancing and providing plenty of healthy exercise,’ he said. ‘It wouldn’t have been a good image to see the four of us jumping on and off carts.’
It was the sort of thoughtful comment that punctuated a 75minute interview McIlroy did with the McKellar golf podcast, that got rather lost alongside his comments about Trump, including the incendiary line about the US premier’s handling of the pandemic: ‘It’s not the way a leader should act.’
Thankfully, for once, Trump didn’t get an itchy Twitter finger, that would have sent the story into orbit and dominated today’s proceedings.
For golf geeks, the Seminole venue will provide as much intrigue as the play. It’s known as the Augusta National of Florida,
with the marked difference that it has never been seen before on television.
‘It’s just a pure golf course, with no country club trappings,’ said McIlroy, who lives less than an hour’s drive away.
‘There’s plenty of room off the tee but you have to be accurate with your approach shots. I love the club’s whole philosophy. There’s a sign by the first tee that says: “If you play good, play fast, and if you play bad, play faster”.’
McIlroy didn’t touch a club for the first seven weeks of his break, preferring a morning swim instead. ‘It makes my back feel good,’ he explained.
‘I’ve had some back issues in the past and swimming is a good exercise when you’re doing plenty of sitting around.’
In the last fortnight, he’s played a lot with Open champion Shane Lowry, who decided to see out the pandemic in Florida rather than travel home to Ireland.
‘I prefer trying to take Shane’s money to practising,’ said
McIlroy. The Skins format will see each golfer play his own ball, with the leading score on each team counting.
Each side will start with $500,000, with holes 1-6 worth $50,000, before doubling for holes 7-16.
The 17th hole will be worth $200,000 and the 18th a mammoth $500,000. All the money will benefit two Covid-related charities. Next Sunday there will be another charity game involving Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, before the PGA Tour resumes on June 11 in Texas.