Magic McIlroy

In All Fairness

It’s hard to believe we are at the Easter mid-term break already. In recent years, many clubs and organisations have used these two-weeks to host camps or programs to keep primary & secondary school age minds busy, as well as taking the pressure off parents.

One of those sports is golf where among others Roscrea and Nenagh clubs have organised specialised juvenile coaching over the next two weeks and if they weren’t booked out already, they will be now after the heroics of Rory McIlroy in cementing his name among the games greats in completing the career grand slam by finally getting his hands on the item that had eluded him for so long, a Masters green jacket.

That the Co. Down native has joined a select group of just six men to have won all four majors, his status as Ireland’s greatest sportsman is now assured.

For many, like myself, whose golfing interest is solely as a viewer, it has felt like we have a vested interest in his quest to end an eleven year wait for his fifth major, despite not knowing the man at all.

There are some that have taken pleasure in seeing McIlroy fall short since 2014, calling him mentally weak or using a term that I hate, a choker! There is nothing more insulting to call anyone, amateur or professional, who puts themselves out there to compete but on occasion doesn’t live up to someone else's expectations.

There are some that haven’t taken to him because he didn’t don the tricolour when he initially broke onto the scene. McIlroy is not stupid; he wasn’t going to allow himself to be used as a political pawn by those who are only interested in whether he wore the tri-colour or the Union Jack. You only have see the reaction of a Unionist politician since the weekend calling for him to be knighted and to become Sir Rory McIlroy, knowing full well what he was saying. That Rory sided with Ireland in recent years to compete in the Olympics was never going to define him, even if he ended up playing for Great Britain & Northern Ireland either.

If McIlroy had fallen short once more on Sunday, the likelihood is he would have bounced back, because he always does. Whether it was St Andrews in 2023 or Pinehurst last year, the doubters weren’t slow in saying Rory wouldn’t come back from those body blows, but he did. The same were writing him off last Friday morning after his poor finish to the first round, yet he came back.

Then there was the drama on the back nine on Sunday when McIlroy, as he tends to do, throws in some inexplicably bad shots such as on 11 & 13, however, a mentally weak sportsman doesn’t follow those up by doing what he did with his spectacular second shots on 15 & 17, and then even more impressively after missing the six-footer to win the title in regulation play, composed himself to nail the drive of his life on the playoff hole. That was the key shot in reassuring himself and showing Justin Rose that he was still in the right frame of mind to win.

Why so many people, not just Irish, but golf fans around the world, rooted for him on Sunday, was not just for his incredible talent, but that he is human. The emotion when the winning putt fell into the hole was the frustration of eleven years finally leaving his body.

His transformation since the catastrophic ending to the US Open last June has been remarkable, considering it was also a time when his marriage was in trouble and divorce papers had been served. Since that has been resolved, it’s as if McIlroy has had a more relaxed outlook on life, and his play has gone to another level.

Rory McIlroy, as well as the leading professionals, are well paid for what they do, but for him its not about money, and it’s why he has been vocal leader against LIV Golf. He dreams of achievement and titles; the money is a bonus. You only have to see how many of those players that have gone to LIV rarely contend in the majors, apart from Bryan Dechambeau, but he is like Rory in many ways, consumed largely by the game.

What this win means next for Rory McIlroy, we can only speculate but considering the weight that has been lifted from his shoulders, there’s the likelihood of a number of more majors, or he might not win anymore, you just can’t be sure with him.

However, he should be contending as he can now be aggressive in his play entirely. He’s not suited to playing containment golf, that is when the mistakes happen, he is at his best when he trusts his skills and takes on some of the great shots he produced on countless holes on Sunday. Sometimes being aggressive can cost you but more often than not, you’ll win more than you lose with that mindset.