HARMER’S SEVENTH HEAVEN
CRICKET
RORY McILROY has revealed he rejoined the European Tour and will play in the BMW PGA today because of his American wife.
The Ulsterman had threatened to quit his home tour this season in a dispute over scheduling.
But the world No.2 was yesterday back at Wentworth in the happy mood of a man who has just banked £12.3million for winning the FedEx Cup.
Five years on from winning the title here, McIlroy said he was urged to seek a compromise by wife Erica (above) – and he is glad he took her advice. “What persuaded me to be teeing it up here this week? My wife. She said to me, ‘What are you trying to do’ and ‘What point are you trying to make?’
“I knew at the start of this year that I wasn’t going to play the Irish Open and the rule was that you have to play an extra two events if you don’t play your home open.
“European Tour boss Keith Pelley came back with a compromise where you have to play three Rolex Series events a year and I said, ‘Done, 100 per cent done.’ That was a fair deal in the end.
“I felt that my best preparation for the Open Championship this year was to play the Scottish Open and not play the one before. In hindsight I probably should have played it.
“But you live and you learn. I’ll be playing the Irish Open next year,” said McIlroy speaking at the star-studded ProAm event yesterday, which included Harry Redknapp, Ian Wright (below) and Ben Stokes (left).
Erica, who used to work for the PGA of America, had to drag her depressed husband out of the house after his final-round flop at the 2018 Masters.
But after playing the Omega European Masters a week on from his Tour Championship win in Atlanta last month, McIlroy took a more enjoyable break from his clubs.
“I had to drag myself off the sofa last week, but my game feels good,” he said.
The 30-year-old, who has won three times on the PGA Tour this season, has five events left to play – at Wentworth, the Alfred Dunhill Links, Japan, China and Dubai.
“The most I’ve ever won in a season is five (in 2012),” added McIlroy. “I would love to at least equal that and try to better that.” SIMON HARMER spun Essex to the brink of the County title with seven wickets as Surrey were despatched by an innings at Chelmsford.
With Somerset beaten at Southampton by Hampshire, Harmer
P Harrington, M Lorenzo-Vera, V Hovland
H Stenson, R CaberaBello, B Wiesberger F Molinari, R McIlroy, S Lowry
T Fleetwood, E Pepperell, M Wallace J Rose, P Reed, J Rahm
Poulter, P Casey, T Finau T Bjorn, L Westwood, D Willett