‘Please welcome your Players and Masters champion,Rory McIlroy.”
Shortly before 8am on the 10th tee at TPC Louisiana. The gallery is less than 100 in number. Still, there is extra pep in the starter’s voice. Those last four words carry such weight, they conjure such images. Masters champion, Rory McIlroy. An introduction he had waited a lifetime to receive. It somehow felt inadequate that it was over in a split second. “Very nice,” said McIlroy later. “I could get used to it.” He will be afforded that very privilege.
A 329-yard drive flew down the fairway. The latest chapter of McIlroy’s thrilling, fabled career was under way. Dressed all in black, 11 days after he may as well have worn Superman’s cape. Records will show McIlroy, in partnership with Shane Lowry in better ball format, started life as a grand slam winner with an eight-under-par 64 at the Zurich Classic. Back in the old routine.
McIlroy has never needed to chase popularity. The way he plays, the way he talks and, to an extent, the heartache attached to parts of his career means he is the people’s champion. McIlroy is relatable. Unlike Tiger Woods in his prime, he does not pretend to be infallible. It is just that the adulation has been cranked up a notch. Crowds quickly multiplied as McIlroy and Lowry went about their business.
Theirs was a subdued round until McIlroy rolled in a lengthy birdie putt at the 1st, the pair’s 10th, and hit an outrageous second at the next to set up an eagle. They will fancy their chances of a successful Zurich defence albeit this was a day on which the Højgaard twins, Rasmus and Nicolai, posted a 59, only to be headed by the 58-shooting Kevin Velo and Isaiah Salinda. Crazy golf.
“Shane got off to a really good start,” McIlroy said. “I didn’t do anything. Shane joked I could have had a couple of extra hours in bed if I wanted to. But yeah, I played a bit better coming in. It was OK. We felt like we left a few shots out there.”
There will come a time when Rory’s story will have to project forward. More majors, Ryder Cups, the pursuit of Olympic medals. The US PGA Championship is only three weeks away. It is just that what played out at Augusta National on 13 April was so extraordinary that it requires ongoing analysis.
In becoming just the sixth man in history to complete the grand slam, McIlroy was central to one of the most noteworthy major finishes of all time. Events in Georgia mean the 35-year-old is again the hottest ticket in sport. The g-word is overused but McIlroy is indeed a great. He feels “responsibility” in holding the Green Jacket for a year. It is one of McIlroy’s attributes that he has never outwardly changed, despite the inevitable impact of fame and fortune. Masters glory will not alter McIlroy’s values or approach.
“It’s another really big tournament, one I had wanted to win for a long time and hadn’t been able to do it so there is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction,” he said. “That is really nice but I don’tfeeldifferent. I didn’t expect to feel different. I am glad of the experience and glad to have got through it but it wasn’t like I was ever going to wake up the next morning and … ” Hence here he was, on a cloudy morning in Louisiana, back at work.
Predictions that McIlroy would end his Masters wait arrived from illustrious observers on the morning the tournament began. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson all tipped McIlroy. The man himself acted as if he was unaware what had been said by the honorary starters, when in reality he knew straight away. “I don’t think there was anything that could have happened that I hadn’t heard before,” McIlroy said. “It’s all just noise. I got really used to dealing with noise that week.” McIlroy pauses. “It was nice to prove them right.”
McIlroy’s euphoric celebrations on the 18th green at Augusta were instinctive. Something that happened next was not. McIlroy turned to his four-year-old daughter, Poppy, during the prize-giving ceremony and delivered a simple message: “Never, ever, give up on your dreams.” The theme had been scripted.
“I hope Poppy had a little clue about what was going on,” McIlroy says with a smile. “That was directed at her but I had also always thought about, if I did win the Masters and completed the slam, what did I want my message to be. It was great that she was there and I could direct that at her but it was also for every little boy or girl in the world who has a dream.
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“I wanted it to mean something more than me just winning a golf tournament. I wanted it to represent something more and be inspirational; if you have a dream, never give up on it and work hard. Overcome obstacles. Keep coming back. That is what I wanted the lesson to be.”
It is instructive that even such a monumental achievement can leave scar tissue. McIlroy could never properly articulate what he went through in round four, where he looked to have the Masters in his grip, wobbled, hauled himself back to the summit but faced a playoff against Justin Rose. What if he had not actually won it?
“I don’t even want to think about that,” says McIlroy. “It is hard for me to even watch it back. Just the feelings … aargh.” Still? “Still. I think back to the playoff and don’t know how I hit those three shots. I don’t have a clue. It will be the hardest round of golf I’ll ever have to play. I’m glad I have it behind me.”
Private celebrations included a trip home to Belfast, from where McIlroy’s parents had watched the Masters unfold. McIlroy almost tears up when asked about the moment he set eyes on Rosie and Gerry, whose role in the development of a history-maker should never be underplayed. From humble roots, they have seen their only child etch indelible marks in record books. “Emotional,” he says. “It is still emotional. Hopefully they are very proud of their boy.”
Had McIlroy won theMasters in 2011, when he collapsed so painfully over the last nine holes, the reaction would have been nothing like what transpired 14 years later. The tension, the drama, the reaching of this promised land turned heads way beyond golf. When Donald Trump contacted McIlroy on the Monday, the US president wanted to analyse the champion’s final round. The broader response to this win was humongous.
“While it was happening, I had no idea,” McIlroy says. “I was just trying to win the tournament. Afterwards, yes. People could see the emotion and how much it meant to me.”
Elton John was amongst those to get in touch with McIlroy to offer heartfelt congratulations. Rory’s still standing … better than he ever did.