logo
Rory McIlroy: For the boy from Holywood, County Down, it's a Hollywood ending

Rory McIlroy: For the boy from Holywood, County Down, it's a Hollywood ending

Yahoo14-04-2025

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.
Read more:
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 -
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.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rory McIlroy Shares Troubling Message Ahead of U.S. Open
Rory McIlroy Shares Troubling Message Ahead of U.S. Open

Yahoo

time32 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Rory McIlroy Shares Troubling Message Ahead of U.S. Open

Rory McIlroy Shares Troubling Message Ahead of U.S. Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After a two-week hiatus from the PGA Tour following the PGA Championship, Rory McIlroy returned to action this week at the RBC Canadian Open—but his time in the tournament was short-lived. Advertisement McIlroy struggled mightily over both rounds, never finding a consistent rhythm across the 36 holes he played. He ultimately missed the cut—and by a wide margin. The 2025 Masters champion shot a 71 on Thursday followed by a disappointing 78 on Friday, finishing at nine-over par. The cut line stood at two-under. Now, with a chance to regroup ahead of the third major of the year—the U.S. Open at Oakmont—McIlroy offered a concerning message about his performance in Canada. "Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said on Friday after his round. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't."He continued, "Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee." Rory McIlroy lines up his tee shot on the 14th tee during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Doster-Imagn Images Rory McIlroy has had an outstanding year by any measure. His most significant achievement came at Augusta National, where he captured his first Masters title and completed the career Grand Slam. He also added victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship to round out an impressive season. Advertisement However, in comments this week, McIlroy admitted that maintaining motivation has been a challenge since his win at Augusta. After chasing the Masters for more than a decade, he said it's been difficult to find that extra edge and drive to compete at the same level. "I would certainly say that the last few weeks—I've had a couple of weeks off—and going and grinding on the range for three or four hours everyday is maybe a little tougher than it used to be," he told reporters. "You have this event in your life that you've worked towards and it happens, sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again." Related: Fans Appalled By Rory McIlroy's Latest U.S. Open Blunders This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.

Ottawa Senators 'Rev Up The Red' Again, Provide Glimpse At New Third Jerseys
Ottawa Senators 'Rev Up The Red' Again, Provide Glimpse At New Third Jerseys

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Ottawa Senators 'Rev Up The Red' Again, Provide Glimpse At New Third Jerseys

I need to get my stuff together – Rory McIlroy out to end Masters hangover Rory McIlroy says he has to 'get his stuff together' as he looks to shake off his Masters hangover at the US Open this week. The world number two completed an 11-year quest to win all four majors when he triumphed at Augusta National in April but his form has suffered since. He tied for 47th at the PGA Championship last month, where he suffered drama when his driver was found to be non-conforming, while he missed the cut at the Canadian Open last week as his struggles off the tee continued 0:55 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing

Rory McIlroy shot 81 during rough US Open practice round
Rory McIlroy shot 81 during rough US Open practice round

New York Post

time4 hours ago

  • New York Post

Rory McIlroy shot 81 during rough US Open practice round

Oakmont Country Club wasn't kind to Rory McIlroy during a recent practice round. The reigning Masters champion said Tuesday that he shot an 81 over 18 holes at the Pennsylvania course on June 2 ahead of the U.S. Open, which starts on Thursday. 'Last Monday felt impossible,' McIlroy said during a press conference Tuesday. 'I birdied the last two holes for 81. It felt pretty good. It didn't feel like I played that bad.' McIlroy added that he expects the conditions he'll face this weekend will be a bit less challenging than what he took on earlier this month. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland speaks to the media during a practice round prior to the 125th U.S. OPEN at Oakmont Country Club on June 10, 2025 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Getty Images 'This morning it was a little softer,' he said. 'The pins aren't going to be on 3 or 4 percent slopes all the time. If you put it in the fairway, it's certainly playable. But then you just have to think about leaving your ball below the hole and just trying to make as many pars as you can. You get yourself in the way of a few birdies, that's a bonus.' McIlroy hasn't played like his usual self in recent weeks, finishing T-47 at the PGA Championship and missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open last week. McIlroy's mini-slump comes after his driver was deemed non-conforming before the PGA Championship. He told reporters Tuesday that he hopes those troubles are behind him heading into the year's third major tournament. Rory McIlroy tees off on the tenth hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 'Every driver sort of has its own character and you're trying to manage the misses,' McIlroy said. 'I feel like, as the last few weeks go, I think I learnt a lot on Thursday and Friday last week and did a good bit of practice at home and feel like I'm in a better place with everything going into this week.' After completing the career Grand Slam, McIlroy admitted that it's been tough to stay motivated on the golf course. 'I worked incredibly hard on my game from October last year all the way up until April this year (and) it was nice to sort of see the fruits of my labor come to fruition and have everything happen,'' McIlroy said Tuesday. '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. 'At some point, you have to realize that there's a little bit more golf left to play this season — here, Portrush [the British Open], Ryder Cup — so those are obviously the three big things that I'm sort of looking at for the rest of the year.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store