Rory McIlroy: For the boy from Holywood, County Down, it's a Hollywood ending
Why you can trust Sky News
His parents captured the moment on home video.
Three-year-old Rory McIlroy practising his swing in the living room of the family home.
At the age of nine, he appeared on Ulster Television, chipping golf balls into a washing machine.
His love of golf was nurtured by his dad Gerry, who brought baby Rory to the course in his stroller.
Recognising his talent, Gerry and mum Rosie both took second jobs to fund their son's career.
It paid off when he won four major championships by the age of 25, having first become world number one aged 22.
Then came the drought - 11 years of it - McIlroy putting himself, and us all, through the wringer.
Time and time again, he came close but repeatedly buckled under the weight of expectation.
Only one other player of his generation had won a career Grand Slam - Tiger Woods.
Some feared he'd never write that story, that the green jacket would never reach the Green Isle.
But in the hills east of Belfast, they dared to believe that their most famous son since footballer George Best would carve his place in history.
For the boy from Holywood, a coastal town in County Down, it's a Hollywood ending.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
US Open food and drink prices confirmed as fans fume at eye-watering costs
The US Open gets underway on Thursday, with Rory McIlroy bidding to win his second major of the year, but supporters' attention has been drawn to the price of the menu in Pennsylvania Golf fans have been left flabbergasted after the food and drink prices for the US Open were revealed. The third major of the year tees off on Thursday, with Rory McIlroy gunning for his second win of the year. McIlroy finally completed the career Grand Slam by triumphing in the Masters at Augusta back in April. The Northern Irishman will face competition from American Bryson DeChambeau, who is looking to retain his US Open title. A third man in the running is Scottie Scheffler, who won the PGA Championship in May and will tee off as the bookies' favourite in Pennsylvania. Upwards of 200,000 people expected to attend the event at Oakmont Country Club. And supporters have been left furious after the course's food and drinks menu was released. A Philly cheesesteak is the heftiest meal on the menu - costing $13.95 (£10.33) - while crisps are $3.49 (£2.58). A single Corona will cost $11.95 (£8.85), while even a bottle of water is $4.95 (£3.66). An 'All Beef Hotdog' will set fans back $7.59 (£5.63), while an 'Asiago Turkey Sandwich' will cost $12.25 (£9.08). The most expensive drink on the menu is also the 'Official Cocktail of the US Open' - a canned lemon wedge by Dewar's. That will cost $13.95 (10.34), the saw as a Black Cherry Seltzer. What really astonished fans though was the price of a banana, which will cost $1.95 (£1.44). One fumed: "$1.98 for a banana??? I'm taking my business elsewhere!" Another said: "$1.95 for a banana is outrageous." While a third added: "Menu prices seem disconnected from the average attendee's budget." A fourth raged: "$7.50 for a hot dog is ridiculous especially when they ran out yesterday. During the Monday practice round. Good luck this weekend." It's far cry from Augusta National and the Masters where patrons are still able to tuck into food and drink for very reasonable prices. Fans walking the famous course in Georgia were able to get a sandwich from as cheap as $1.50, while a beer was priced at just $6. McIlroy was victorious at Augusta, but has admitted being concerned about his form after missing the cut at the Canadian Open. The world No.2 shot a dismal second-round 78 last Friday, with McIlroy admitting he is struggling to turn things around. 'Of course it concerns me. You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today,' McIlroy said on the PGA website. 'I felt like I came here with a new driver thinking that was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't. 'Going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still searching for the missing piece off the tee. When I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now that isn't.'
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Rory McIlroy is undergoing a post-Masters hangover and the US Open comes at an unfortunate time for him - no course is more vindictive towards absent minds, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
Drivers and drive. Rory McIlroy 's recent struggles in each department have stripped away any sense of bullishness from his outer layer as he embarks on the US Open this week. That he must nurture such difficulties at Oakmont of all places is a case of unfortunate timing. No course is more vindictive towards absent minds and loose tee shots and there is no escaping the reality that the world No 2 is enduring a post-Masters hangover. To sum up why this is a less-than-ideal setting for McIlroy's current situation, consider what he told us on Tuesday about a reconnaissance trip here eight days earlier. 'I birdied the last two holes for 81,' he said. The upside is that the weather in Pittsburgh this week is far more benign than last. The downside is that after his Monday round he then travelled to the Canadian Open and missed the cut by a mile. Having tied for 47th at the PGA Championship in his previous outing, there are grounds to ask what is eating away at a golfer who started the season like a runaway train and whose mood since that Augusta catharsis has been as variable as his driving. The efforts to correct the latter have been complicated. He revealed here that he will play the season's third major with his fourth different driver configuration in the space of a month, after binning the one with which he hit less than half of the fairways in Canada. Given the severe penalties for entering the rough at Oakmont, McIlroy will be hoping for a significant uplift and he has at least offered positive feedback. 'I did a good bit of practice at home and feel like I'm in a better place with everything going into this week,' he said. Asked what he learned, he added: 'That I wasn't using the right driver.' Enquiries to establish which model of TaylorMade weapon he has chosen rebounded off a chippy wall: 'Come out and watch me hit balls, and you'll see.' It should be pointed out that, usually, McIlroy has a strong, respectful relationship with reporters. But such dynamics have been tested a little recently, as shown by his media blackout after it emerged he was forced to change a non-compliant driver prior to the PGA Championship. His unhappiness in the aftermath was directed towards journalists doing their jobs but the more relevant frustration, clearly, was that he had to switch the most effective club in his bag. Scottie Scheffler endured an identical disruption and yet he prevailed to win the tournament, as McIlroy himself pointed out on Tuesday. 'It wasn't a big deal for Scottie, so it shouldn't have been a big deal for me,' he said. It's an interesting time for McIlroy. He has spoken previously about the emotional come-down that accompanied his Masters high and he went further on the theme here, saying: 'Look, you dream about the final putt going in at the Masters, but you don't think about what comes next. 'I think I've always been a player that struggles to play after a big event, after I win whatever tournament. I always struggle to show up with motivation the next. 'I think chasing a certain goal for the better part of a decade and a half, I think I'm allowed a little bit of time to relax a little bit.' No one of sound mind would dispute the latter. 'I think it's trying to have a little bit of amnesia and forget about what happened six weeks ago,' added McIlroy. 'Then it's just trying to find the motivation to go back out there and work as hard as I've been working. 'At some point, you have to realise that there's a little bit more golf left to play this season.' While there have been none of the usual declarations of confidence, it should not be overlooked that McIlroy has not finish outside the top nine in the past six editions of this most idiosyncratic of tournaments, including his heartbreak against Bryson DeChambeau in 2024. US Opens are not for everyone, but McIlroy, the 2011 champion, is far more suited to the test than most. The most challenging of surroundings could also offer the jolt he currently needs.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Reuters
Rory McIlroy working to regain form, motivation after savoring Masters triumph
June 10 - Rory McIlroy is making no apologies for savoring the biggest accomplishment of his career, but insists Oakmont Country Club has his full attention this week. Since claiming his first Masters title in dramatic fashion in April, McIlroy's form has fallen off precipitously. After a tie for seventh at the Truist Championship, he tied for 47th at the PGA Championship before missing the cut by 12 shots last week in Canada, where he finished better than only four players. "You dream about the final putt going in at the Masters, but you don't think about what comes next," McIlroy said on Tuesday ahead of this week's U.S. Open outside of Pittsburgh. "I think chasing a certain goal for the better part of a decade and a half, I think I'm allowed a little bit of time to relax a little bit. But here at Oakmont, I certainly can't relax this week." McIlroy missed the cut by two shots the last time the U.S. Open was contested at Oakmont in 2016, carding a 77 and a 71 to finish 8 over. "Don't really remember much about 2016. I think I just tried to erase it from the memory bank," he joked. McIlroy called Oakmont "a big brute of a golf course" that will test every club in the bag. The club with the biggest question in McIlroy's bag has been his driver. After driving it "OK" in his words at Augusta, McIlroy struggled mightily off the tee at the PGA Championship after having to make a switch after his driver failed a pre-tournament inspection. Despite missing the cut in Canada, McIlroy said he has made progress with a new driver while playing at home and during Tuesday's practice round. "Hopefully I can hit a few more fairways than I have been hitting and give myself some opportunities," he said. "It's very penal if you miss. Sometimes it's penal if you don't miss. "But the person with the most patience and the best attitude this week is the one that's going to win." With his Masters victory, McIlroy accomplished the career Grand Slam at 36 years old. His lone U.S. Open victory came 14 years ago at Congressional. The Northern Irishman was asked the biggest challenge he's facing as he attempts to reset from the high of Augusta. "I think it's trying to have a little bit of amnesia and forget about what happened six weeks ago. Then just trying to find the motivation to go back out there and work as hard as I've been working," he said. "At some point, you have to realize that there's a little bit more golf left to play this season, here, (the Open Championship at) Portrush, Ryder Cup. So, those are obviously the three big things that I'm sort of looking at for the rest of the year. "But I think weeks like (the PGA at) Quail Hollow or even weeks like last week, it makes it easier to reset in some way, to be like, OK, I sort of need to get my stuff together here and get back to the process." Many speculated that finally claiming his first Masters would free McIlroy to reel off several more majors. But even if that doesn't happen this week -- or ever again -- McIlroy plans to enjoy this stage of his life. One that includes playing more tennis with friends on the road, less concerned about suffering an injury that impacts his golf game, and traveling the world with his daughter, Poppy. "I worked incredibly hard on my game from October last year all the way up until April this year. It was nice to sort of see the fruits of my labor come to fruition and have everything happen," McIlroy said. "But at the same time, you have to enjoy that. You have to enjoy what you've just accomplished. I certainly feel like I'm still doing that and I will continue to do that." --Field Level Media
