ROUND WITH TRUMP COULD COST RORY THE GREEN JACKET
McGinley tells star to focus only on winning just like Woods did
PAUL McGINLEY fears the storm over Rory McIlroy playing golf with Donald Trump will hit his bid to make history at The Masters.
The world No.3 makes his return to action at the WGC-Mexico Championship today after being out since January with a fractured rib.
But the Ulsterman still managed to cause headlines by playing 18 holes with the 45th President of the United States in Florida last week.
Now with the first Major of the season barely a month away – and McIlroy having played only two events in 17 weeks – his former Ryder Cup captain insists he must quickly get his focus back on completing his career Grand Slam at Augusta.
McGinley said: “He has walked into a storm – of course it’s a worry. In preparation for The Masters this is not a noise you really want to have. It can’t help.
“Rory got involved with the debate about the Olympics on the day before The Open last year and of course it affected his performance.
“You look to Tiger Woods, what he did in his career. He was purely focused on winning tournaments.
“I want to see him focusing on his golf in the next four or five weeks and then getting down to joining history.”
McIlroy can reclaim the world No.1 spot by winning and Dustin Johnson finishes in a two-way tie for third or worse.
But the four-time Major champ was still defending his “surreal experience” with POTUS on his arrival on the other side of the wall from the USA.
He said: “I’m sorry if I p ***** people off but I felt I was in a position where I couldn’t really do anything but say yes.
“Respect the office even if you don’t respect the guy that’s in it.”
McIlroy needs victory in The Masters to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in having won all four Major titles but has played just once in 2017.
The 27-year-old now has only three events to prepare for the year’s first in Georgia where he has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three years.
He said: “Honestly I haven’t thought much about Augusta. My biggest concern has just been getting healthy and being able to get back here.
“The routine was get up early in the morning, do my rehab stuff, try to get out and see what I could do on the golf course, get back, have some treatment, do a few more exercises.
“It was just basically that on repeat for the last three or four weeks.
“It’s nice I get to play four rounds, see where my game is, take the week off next week, reassess how my body feels, how my game feels.
“From there I can start to think about The Masters and think about what I really need to do to get ready for Augusta.”
There are 49 of the world’s top 50 in the 77-man field with world No.2 Jason Day absent due to illness.
You look to Tiger, what he did in his career. He was purely focused on winning PAUL McGINLEY