Latest news with #RoryLand
Irish Examiner
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy paired together at US Open
Rory McIlroy's bid to rediscover his form at this week's US Open may have been given a significant boost as organisers paired him with close friend Shane Lowry in a dream grouping for Irish fans over the first two days at Oakmont. The duo were among the first players on the course on Wednesday morning as they played the back nine together and got a look at the notorious rough. Shortly before the end of their practice, the USGA confirmed that they will be spending a lot more time together this week. McIlroy, Lowry and Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose will be in an early-late grouping which will go out at 7.40am local time (12.40pm Irish time) for Thursday's opening round and 1.25pm (6.25pm Irish time) on Friday afternoon. Read More Rory Land: New book explores McIlroy's golfing brilliance and personal struggles While McIlroy's struggles to kick on from his glory at Augusta have been a talking point coming into the year's third major, so too has Lowry's chances at a course where he held the Sunday lead when it last hosted the US Open in 2016. The duo were, of course, teammate for Ireland at the Paris Olympics last summer and were victorious as a team on the PGA Tour last year in New Orleans. The presence of Rose adds but another subplot given the English veteran was the one who came out the wrong side of that unforgettable playoff at the Masters in April when McIlroy completed the career grand slam. Among other eye-catching groups the trio of PGA champion Scottie Scheffler alongside Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa will attract plenty of galleries while fan favourite Jordan Spieth will play alongside LIV Golf duo Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson.
USA Today
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Here's why Rory McIlroy's parents were missing from the 2025 Masters
Here's why Rory McIlroy's parents were missing from the 2025 Masters Rory McIlroy flew to Belfast last Friday to celebrate his Masters victory with his parents. Gerry and Rosie have been living in Florida for several years now – with Gerry a regular at famed Seminole Golf Club – which made it surprising they weren't in attendance at Augusta National Golf Club to see their pride and joy complete the career Grand Slam. It's not unusual to see the McIlroys among the patrons following their only child during his previous 16 appearances at the Masters. It led at least one member of the media to joke that even his parents had given up on Rory's chances of winning a green jacket. But as McIlroy detailed in Butler Cabin during the presentation of the green jacket and later during his winner's press conference, his parents were back home in Ireland glued to the TV set. What were they doing there? On Wednesday, Rory explained during an interview with PGA Tour Radio's Michael Breed they just bought a new house there and were busy moving into it during Masters week. 'Which they said was a good thing,' recounted McIlroy during the interview from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he and Shane Lowry are the defending champs. 'They were glad they had something to do to take their mind off of what was happening at the Masters.' Gerry, a barkeeper at Holywood Golf Club where Rory learned the game, and Rosie, who toiled on an assembly line's graveyard shift, funded their son's dream of winning majors the hard way and have every reason to be proud of their son completing the career Grand Slam. 'Gerry McIlroy is one of those agreeable Irish souls with sparkling eyes, a shock of Spencer Tracy hair, and an infectious grin. He has the bearing of a seanchaí, the wiseman in an ancient Irish village who was the keeper of folklore and the teller of tall tales,' writes Timothy Gay in his forthcoming unauthorized biography of Rory, titled 'Rory Land,' which is set to be published next month. 'They believed that their gifted son could reach a distant shore if only they gave him a skiff, a pair of oars and a nudge. 'On that conviction, they upended their own lives. And not just in some peripheral way. Their faith in Rory's potential drove them to take on multiple jobs, work literally around the clock, forsake social lives, save every penny, get their child the best possible coaching, and travel to junior tournaments in exotic locales (Miami, San Diego, Honolulu, Milan) about which most of their blue-collar neighbors could only dream.' If the back nine on Sunday was an all-time nail-biter for those just pulling to see history made and an 11-year winless streak in the majors come to an end, imagine what it must've been like for Rory's parents watching an ocean away. Rory gave us a window into what that was like, too. 'Mum couldn't stop crying and dad said it was the first time ever he's watched me play golf on TV and he's had to pour himself a drink,' McIlroy said. Once a barkeeper, always a barkeeper. "To be able to share this with them was incredibly special," Rory said.
