'You start to think if it's going to be your time'

BBC News

02-05-2025

Rory McIlroy was already one of the world's biggest sports stars, but his dramatic Masters victory at Augusta has taken him to a whole new level. The 'Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon' is one of the biggest talk shows in the United States.McIlroy made an appearance on Thursday to discuss his Masters victory, famous contacts and he even recreated his famous washing machine video from when he was an eight-year-old.Here's what happened as McIlroy, wearing the famous green jacket, joined Fallon in New York.
'It's OK dad, they can't see me crying'
A McIlroy went viral before the tournament had even started at Augusta. However, it wasn't Rory, but his four-year-old daughter Poppy. In the Par 3 Contest on the eve of the tournament, Poppy holed a 25-foot putt which sparked wild celebrations from McIlroy, Shane Lowry and everyone who was there to witness it.Poppy stood on the green, unsure how to react, and got a calming hug from her dad and Erica, her mum."I don't think she anticipated the loud cheer," said McIlroy, who also credited Poppy for keeping him relaxed ahead of his penultimate round by watching kids' film Zootopia."She got a little overwhelmed and started to cry a little bit. "When we got back to the clubhouse she wanted to see the video. She was studying it, and then said 'it's OK dad, I don't think they can see me crying'."That's all she was worried about."
'In my own world'
For years, McIlroy had faced questions over whether he could compete the career Grand Slam.There had been missed opportunities to claim the iconic green jacket - most notably after an infamous final-round collapse in 2011. Despite his talent and self belief, the 35-year-old admitted to wondering if he had missed his opportunity."You start to think if it is ever going to be your time," he said."I think there's a good message in there about never giving up and keep coming back. "Be strong, be resilient and that patience paid off."The Northern Irishman held a two-shot lead into the final round, and said he had learnt lessons from his 2011 collapse, when he let a four-stroke advantage slip away."I wanted to make everything else irrelevant. I'm not going to look at what my playing partner is doing, I'm not going to look at the leaderboard. "I was going to try and get in my own world. If I can shoot four-under-par, I'm going to win the Masters. "I felt like I lost the Masters in 2011 because I started to look around and started to do maths in my head."If you give yourself a target and objective, that's all you can do."
Elton John got in touch - with one problem
Unsurprisingly, McIlroy has been contacted by famous people from all walks of life since his win at Augusta.He said he was "super humbled" by those who had been in touch, but one famous musician stood out.Sir Elton John needs little introduction - but there was one little problem."I actually haven't been able to connect with him yet. His assistant left me a voicemail and said Sir Elton would love to congratulate me in person."The only problem is he doesn't have a cell phone. They said I might get a call from Windsor in England on a landline, and I was like 'sure!'."I didn't even know that Elton John knew what golf was, so it's been really cool."Tiger Woods, one of the five other players to complete the Grand Slam, had a simple but very cool message for McIlroy."Welcome to the club, kid."
Back to the future
McIlroy's first appearance on a chat show wasn't in the glitz and glamour of New York, but a local TV programme in his native Northern Ireland. When he was just eight years of age, McIlroy showcased his talents by chipping balls into a washing machine on 'Kelly', replicating what he used to do in his kitchen in Holywood. He recreated that moment with Fallon in a race to three successful chips. No pressure as he wore the famous green jacket. "As the Masters champion I absolutely should not lose to you!" McIlroy quipped.Thankfully for McIlroy, he delivered but, in his own words, "I was better when I was eight!".
'A better golfer than actor'
Happy Gilmore is one of the most famous sports movies from the 1990s, and is set for a modern-day sequel that will come out later this year. It's a story about an ice hockey player - played by Adam Sandler - who goes on to become the best golfer in the world despite his unique technique and temperament. McIlroy said he was a huge fan of the original, and is set to make a cameo appearance in the upcoming release. "Happy Gilmore was the golf movie for me growing up, I can recite almost every line," McIlroy said."The fact I got the opportunity to do that was awesome and Sandler is the absolute best."But I'm a much better golfer than I am an actor."