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Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Rory McIlroy hoping final-round 67 can help him ‘climb another mountain' at Portrush
Home is where the restart is for Rory McIlroy. The world no 2 finished the 125th US Open with his best round of the championship and then stated his belief that a move back to Europe and a major in his own country will see him relight the competitive fires that were snuffed out with that fulfilment of a dream at the Masters in April. McIlroy's mood on Sunday was in stark contrast to Saturday – when he railed at the media and revealed that he had not much cared whether he made the cut here or no – and although a three-under 67 at Oakmont can do that to a golfer, there can be no doubt that he is suffering with fatigue when it comes to Stateside golf. He is committed to the Travelers Championship, starting in Connecticut on Thursday, and then flies over the pond. He and wife Erica will move into their new home in Wentworth and then, after the Scottish Open, will play in The Open at Royal Portrush, an hour north of Holywood, the Belfast suburb where he grew up. For the player who concedes to feeling flat since completing the career grand slam courtesy of that green jacket, this opportunity is just the impetus he needs. 'Look, if I can't get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don't know what can motivate me,' he said. 'I climbed my Everest in April, and I think after you do something like that, you've got to make your way back down, and you've got to look for another mountain to climb. An Open at Portrush is certainly one of those.' 'I'm looking forward to just getting back to Europe in general. Obviously, I've got one more week over here, but we've got a lot to look forward to, got our new house in London, play the Scottish and then obviously The Open. Just trying to get myself in the right frame of mind to approach that.' Six years ago, McIlroy was a huge favourite – with the bookmakers and, of course with the supporters – to prevail as the major returned to Portrush for the first time in 68 years. But in the event McIlroy – who famously shot a 61 on the Dunluce links as a 16-year-old – missed the cut after opening with a torrid 78. The 36-year-old is determined to exorcise that memory. 'I feel like playing an Open at Portrush already and sort of at least remembering what those feelings were like and those feelings that I was probably unprepared for at the time. 'I didn't realise how emotional I was going to be. I think that was a thing I was unprepared for more than anything else. I remember I hit a shot into the 12th or 13th on the Friday night, when I was obviously trying to make the cut. 'I remember the roar when the ball hit the green, and I felt like I was about to burst into tears. Just that support and that love from your own people. So I was unprepared for that. I need to just get myself in the right frame of mind to feel those feelings again. It will be my first time back home in public after winning the Masters. Hopefully, I can celebrate with them on Sunday night with the Claret Jug and the green jacket.' 'He looks fed up to me' At least one fellow Irishman will be delighted to have heard this overnight transformation in tone. Paul McGinley, the former Ryder Cup captain, saw McIlroy hurl a club on Saturday and then, just a few holes later demolish a tee marker and listened to a bad-natured exchange with the media in which he said, 'it's more the case that I'm frustrated with you guys'. And he worried for his countryman. 'I didn't enjoy it,' McGinley said on Saturday night. 'Rory's better than that. Either not talking to the media or giving a press conference like that doesn't serve him fairly or rightly for the person that he is. 'He looks fed up to me. He looks like he's had enough of everything. Whether it was the emotional release of everything that's gone on in his career, I don't know. But he's not himself.' Certainly, he looked like the old McIlroy in this six-birdie effort – that took him to seven-over and into the top 30 – or least the McIlroy who commanded the first third of the season, with wins at Pebble Beach and at The Players before joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan in the clean-sweep pantheon. As ever with McIlroy, his positivity traces back to the tee and from a technical standpoint this is where he will take optimism from Oakmont. He missed the cut in the previous week's Canadian Open after an atrocious performance with the club that most defines his game. 'I feel like I've driven the ball well all week,' he said. 'And after the way I drove it today, I'd say I finished in the top five in strokes gained off the tee. Really encouraged. I feel like I got a really good feeling in my swing with the driver, which is great. 'Hopefully, I can continue that on into next week. Yeah, it's close. Physically I feel like my game's there. It's just mentally getting myself in the right frame of mind to get the best out of myself.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy, Wife Erica Making Big Change After U.S. Open
Last week Rory McIlroy took to Oakmont Country Club - host of the U.S. Open this weekend - for a practice round that didn't go as well as he would have liked. "They had the pins in dicey locations, and greens were running at 15½. It was nearly impossible," McIlroy said. "I birdied the last two holes for 81. It felt pretty good. It didn't feel like I played that bad." Advertisement The 81 for McIlroy came after before he fired a 78 in the second round of the RBC Canadian Open and missed the cut by 12 shots. Not exactly carrying momentum into the year's third major title, the Northern Irishman became just the sixth golfer in history to win the grand slam in April. After winning the Masters, McIlroy and his family, including wife Erica and daughter Poppy, traveled to see their new home in London. "We first went to London with Erica and Poppy to see our new home that we're building and we made the trip over to Belfast to see a few other people that are important to us," McIlroy said at the time. "Just to be with them, to be with Erica and Poppy and my mom and dad. To see Michael Bannon, my lifelong coach, and spend a bit more time with Harry [Diamond] and his wife. [To] celebrate with the people that have been part of this whole thing for my entire career was absolutely amazing." Advertisement Just last month McIlroy revealed that home will be the family's new "base" of operations as they move there after the conclusion of the U.S. Open. The couple purchased the plot of land the new house sits on back in 2023 and the home is finally near completion two years later. McIlroy said it was "fun to see" their new home during the visit after the Masters, and although they "could have stayed in it," he and Stoll "wanted to get over to Holywood," the town in Northern Ireland where he's from. Related: Rory McIlroy Sends Strong Message to Wife Erica Before PGA Championship Rory McIlroy, Wife Erica Making Big Change After U.S. Open first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 12, 2025
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Rory McIlroy reveals he was reduced to a 'mess' after seeing his mum and dad for the first time since his Masters triumph and admits he tried to keep his homecoming as 'private as possible'
Rory McIlroy cut an emotional figure when acknowledging the sacrifices his parents had made to help him go on to win his first Green Jacket at Augusta National, a little over three weeks ago. In the world of sport, many of the greatest athletes to have lived credit their success to the support network they have around them. Stories have revolved of how parents have devoted themselves to helping their children achieve greatness, ferrying their children to training sessions or saving up the pennies to buy the best sports gear. And the 36-year-old's mum and dad, Rosie and Gerry, were no different, sacrificing their time around their busy 100-week working lives to help their son immortalise himself in golfing history. Now, speaking ahead of this weekend's Truist Championship, McIlroy has opened up on the emotional moment he met his mum and dad for the first time since achieving his historic Career Grand Slam. His parents were unable to watch him clinch the coveted Green Jacket in the flesh, as they were back at home in Northern Ireland, moving into a new house. But a couple of days after his epic victory, McIlroy, his wife Erica and daughter Poppy flew back home to celebrate his monumental victory with friends and family, first heading to London to see the new home they are building before jetting back to Holywood in Northern Ireland. 'I just wanted to see my parents and the people that were closest to me, and we had a really nice two days,' McIlroy said on Wednesday, ahead of this weekend's Truist Championship, adding that he wanted to keep his trip back home 'as private as possible'. 'With my dad, like I never get that emotional with my dad. It was great. It was great to see him. 'Then when I saw my mom, I -- yeah, we were both a mess for a few minutes.' His parents, who hailed from a working-class background, have been by his side through thick and thin. Gerry, a scratch golfer himself, worked three jobs - one of which involved cleaning toilets and showers at alocal sports club before going to work as a bartender. Rosie had worked night shifts at a factory as both strived to give their son the best chance of success as a professional player. 'I am a working-class man and that's all I knew to get the money we needed for Rory to be able to learn and compete at golf,' Gerry had previously told Mail Sport. For McIlroy, being able to share that incredible achievement with his mum and dad was a moment he will cherish. 'Look, as an only child, I have a bond,' the three-time FedEx Cup winner said on Wednesday. 'I'm lucky, and I know a lot of people feel this, that they have a close bond with their parents, but I think as time goes on and I'm getting a little older, I realize that they're not going to be around forever. 'It means even more that they were still around to be able to see me complete the slam and fulfil those dreams.' His victory comes 14 years after the heartache of his capitulation on the back nine at the 2011 Masters. This was a tournament that has dogged him for so long, with McIlroy coming agonisingly close to winning in 2022, which was sandwiched by two missed cuts in 2021 and 2023. But it was as though fate finally manifested itself on April 13, McIlroy had banished his demons at Augusta, finally ended his 11-year major drought, and sunk to his knees on the 18th green in an outpouring of relief and elation. Had he always known he'd win the coveted Green Jacket? 'I always had hope,' the world No 2 said. 'It's not as if I wasn't going to show up at Augusta and feel like I couldn't win. The week that I feel like that, I'll go up there for the Champions Dinner and swan around in my green jacket, but I won't be playing. 'Yeah, I always had hope. I always felt like I had the game. And like I think, as everyone saw on that back nine on Sunday, it was about getting over. I don't know what the right phrase is, but defeating my own mind was sort of the big thing for me and getting over that hurdle.' His back nine at Augusta was a rollercoaster of emotions, with McIlroy going five shots clear through 10, before chipping into the water on 13 for a double bogey. On the 15th he'd produce an incredible approach shot pulling his golf ball around the trees to go down for a birdie, before bogeying the 18th to go to a play-off with Justin Rose. 'Look, I'm just glad that it's done,' he said, speaking on that final day. 'I don't want to ever have to go back to that Sunday afternoon again. I'm glad that I finished the way I did, and we can all move on with our lives.' But McIlroy says after winning the Masters, he is feeling a 'lot less pressure' heading into next week's event at Quail Hollow McIlroy is certainly moving in the right direction. Now, a week out from the PGA Championship, it feels like the shackles are off and McIlroy is ready to play free - which is a dangerous thought for the rest of the field. That becomes more intimidating, noting that he has won four times at Quail Hollow while playing on the PGA Tour. 'I'm obviously going to feel more comfortable and a lot less pressure, and I'm also going back to a venue that I love. 'It's nothing but positive vibes going in there next week with what happened a few weeks ago and then with my history there and how well I've played at Quail. 'Yeah, it probably will feel a little bit different. I probably won't be quite as on edge as I have been for the last few years when I've been at major championships. 'I'll probably be a little bit better to be around for my family, and I'll be a little more relaxed. I think overall it will be a good thing.'
