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Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy among golf's most legendary; it could be a while before anyone joins him
Rory McIlroy among golf's most legendary; it could be a while before anyone joins him Rory McIlroy among golf's most legendary; it could be a while before anyone joins him AUGUSTA, Ga. – Inside the Latrobe, Pennsylvania, home office of Arnold Palmer – a museum-like testament to one of the game's most compelling and complete careers – was a letter from former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Commander in Chief was paying off a bet, complete with a crisp $20 bill, that he'd made with Palmer that the seven-time major winner would complete the career Grand Slam at the 1965 PGA Championship which was played at Laurel Valley Golf Club. Advertisement It was a home game for Palmer and, at least in Eisenhower's mind, where "The King" would ascend to the ultimate throne and complete the career Grand Slam. Palmer never broke par at Laurel Valley, finished tied for 33rd and never won the PGA. On three occasions, in '64, '68 and '70, Palmer finished runner-up at the PGA but he never fulfilled Eisenhower's prediction that he would, eventually, complete the career Grand Slam. As Rory McIlroy bathed in the emotion of a decade of futility Sunday at Augusta National, the King's Grand Slam plight was worth revisiting. Like Palmer, McIlroy was quick to stardom and completed the first three legs – the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Open Championship – by 25. Also like Palmer, most believed the Northern Irishman was destined for the Mount Rushmore of golf and the career Grand Slam – which stands as the game's most exclusive club with just five members before Sunday (Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen). And like Palmer, McIlroy had tried and failed to complete the Slam for a decade since he collected the third leg at the Royal Liverpool. Advertisement Monday morning's headlines will inevitably understate McIlroy's accomplish and for many the notion will be lost in the world No. 2's mountain of accolades. But McIlroy's deliverance to the undisputed top of the sport should not be easily dismissed. Before Sunday in the sunshine, it had been nearly two and a half decades since a player joined the Grand Slam club. Tiger Woods' 2000 victory at The Open to complete the Slam, a benchmark that also stands as the second leg of the Tiger Slam on his way to four consecutive major victories, seems like a lifetime ago. As career accolades go there is no comp, not FedExCup titles, Player of the Year awards or myriad victories can match the ultimate goal. For McIlroy, Sunday's triumph at Augusta National is worth so much more than the sum of its parts. His eventful playoff victory over Justin Rose transforms McIlroy from a great talent to a generational player. Advertisement 'It's a very special moment in the history of the game and Rory just joined a very elite group,' said Tommy Fleetwood, who lingered Sunday behind the Augusta National clubhouse to savor the moment. The Masters - Final Round Unburdened: For Masters champ Rory McIlroy, it's finally about all he has accomplished For all that Rory McIlroy had done in his career, there was always criticism about what he had not. That changed Sunday, in the most pressure-pack, Rory McIlroy of ways. History suggests this is a once-in-a-generation moment, and while some might skip past the accomplishment to celebrate the theater of Sunday's frenzied back-and-forth between McIlroy, Rose, Bryson DeChambeau and Ludvig Åberg, the fact is, it could be another decade or more before the game can celebrate another career Grand Slam. Advertisement 'Most people at home have a hard time putting that in context. Just six people have done it in the modern era,' said Brad Faxon, McIlroy's putting coach and a keen observer whose career crosses the eras from Nicklaus to Woods and now Rory. 'You know how hard that is? You think of the names that are on that career Grand Slam. Jack and Gary, we've had discussions before, they would say their [generation] was a much more difficult time to win those major championships because there were so many players they played against that won a lot of majors. 'I don't think quite like that. I think the opposite. I think the depth of talent out here is way deeper than it ever was. You were only trying to beat half a dozen guys, maybe a dozen guys back then.' There are plenty of modern players who could join McIlroy, Tiger, Jack, et al on the career Grand Slam wall. Jordan Spieth could complete his climb at next month's PGA Championship, although his form and his record at Quail Hollow suggest otherwise. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka needs to win the Masters and Open Championship but he's proven to be a prolific major winner if properly motivated. The same could be said for Xander Schauffele, who joined the race last summer with his PGA and Open Championship victories, as well as Jon Rahm (he's won the Masters and U.S. Open) and Scottie Scheffler (Masters). Advertisement But as McIlroy's often tortured climb to the career Grand Slam has proven, the path is not linear. He needed 11 attempts at the course many would argue best suited his powerful style of play to complete the climb. By comparison, Woods, Hogan and Sarazen needed just a single attempt to wrap up the Slam and Nicklaus and Player only needed three attempts. Perhaps, as Eisenhower gambled with Palmer, a spot of immortality is inevitable for the likes of Koepka or Spieth or Rahm; but the capriciousness of sports is undefeated and the only guarantee is that history can be a cruel reminder of what should have been. With the weight of a decade's-long climb finally removed from his shoulders, McIlroy beamed with relief, not joy. 'It's the best day of my golfing life,' he said. If the history of the career Grand Slam is any indication, it's a day others, too, should savor — it could be awhile before it happens again.
NBC Sports
14-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Rory McIlroy among golf's most legendary; it could be a while before anyone joins him
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Inside the Latrobe, Pennsylvania, home office of Arnold Palmer – a museum-like testament to one of the game's most compelling and complete careers – was a letter from former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Commander in Chief was paying off a bet, complete with a crisp $20 bill, that he'd made with Palmer that the seven-time major winner would complete the career Grand Slam at the 1965 PGA Championship which was played at Laurel Valley Golf Club. It was a home game for Palmer and, at least in Eisenhower's mind, where 'The King' would ascend to the ultimate throne and complete the career Grand Slam. Palmer never broke par at Laurel Valley, finished tied for 33rd and never won the PGA. On three occasions, in '64, '68 and '70, Palmer finished runner-up at the PGA but he never fulfilled Eisenhower's prediction that he would, eventually, complete the career Grand Slam. As Rory McIlroy bathed in the emotion of a decade of futility Sunday at Augusta National, the King's Grand Slam plight was worth revisiting. Like Palmer, McIlroy was quick to stardom and completed the first three legs – the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Open Championship – by 25. Also like Palmer, most believed the Northern Irishman was destined for the Mount Rushmore of golf and the career Grand Slam – which stands as the game's most exclusive club with just five members before Sunday (Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen). And like Palmer, McIlroy had tried and failed to complete the Slam for a decade since he collected the third leg at the Royal Liverpool. Monday morning's headlines will inevitably understate McIlroy's accomplish and for many the notion will be lost in the world No. 2's mountain of accolades. But McIlroy's deliverance to the undisputed top of the sport should not be easily dismissed. Before Sunday in the sunshine, it had been nearly two and a half decades since a player joined the Grand Slam club. Tiger Woods' 2000 victory at The Open to complete the Slam, a benchmark that also stands as the second leg of the Tiger Slam on his way to four consecutive major victories, seems like a lifetime ago. As career accolades go there is no comp, not FedExCup titles, Player of the Year awards or myriad victories can match the ultimate goal. For McIlroy, Sunday's triumph at Augusta National is worth so much more than the sum of its parts. His eventful playoff victory over Justin Rose transforms McIlroy from a great talent to a generational player. 'It's a very special moment in the history of the game and Rory just joined a very elite group,' said Tommy Fleetwood, who lingered Sunday behind the Augusta National clubhouse to savor the moment. Ryan Lavner, History suggests this is a once-in-a-generation moment, and while some might skip past the accomplishment to celebrate the theater of Sunday's frenzied back-and-forth between McIlroy, Rose, Bryson DeChambeau and Ludvig Åberg, the fact is, it could be another decade or more before the game can celebrate another career Grand Slam. 'Most people at home have a hard time putting that in context. Just six people have done it in the modern era,' said Brad Faxon, McIlroy's putting coach and a keen observer whose career crosses the eras from Nicklaus to Woods and now Rory. 'You know how hard that is? You think of the names that are on that career Grand Slam. Jack and Gary, we've had discussions before, they would say their [generation] was a much more difficult time to win those major championships because there were so many players they played against that won a lot of majors. 'I don't think quite like that. I think the opposite. I think the depth of talent out here is way deeper than it ever was. You were only trying to beat half a dozen guys, maybe a dozen guys back then.' There are plenty of modern players who could join McIlroy, Tiger, Jack, et al on the career Grand Slam wall. Jordan Spieth could complete his climb at next month's PGA Championship, although his form and his record at Quail Hollow suggest otherwise. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka needs to win the Masters and Open Championship but he's proven to be a prolific major winner if properly motivated. The same could be said for Xander Schauffele, who joined the race last summer with his PGA and Open Championship victories, as well as Jon Rahm (he's won the Masters and U.S. Open) and Scottie Scheffler (Masters). But as McIlroy's often tortured climb to the career Grand Slam has proven, the path is not linear. He needed 11 attempts at the course many would argue best suited his powerful style of play to complete the climb. By comparison, Woods, Hogan and Sarazen needed just a single attempt to wrap up the Slam and Nicklaus and Player only needed three attempts. Perhaps, as Eisenhower gambled with Palmer, a spot of immortality is inevitable for the likes of Koepka or Spieth or Rahm; but the capriciousness of sports is undefeated and the only guarantee is that history can be a cruel reminder of what should have been. With the weight of a decade's-long climb finally removed from his shoulders, McIlroy beamed with relief, not joy. 'It's the best day of my golfing life,' he said. If the history of the career Grand Slam is any indication, it's a day others, too, should savor — it could be awhile before it happens again.
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Royal Liverpool nurse 'still shudders' over memories of Covid
In October 2020 Liverpool's Covid rates were rising at a terrifying rate and the city was about to become the first area in England to enter the strictest of the government's new three-tier system of country had already seen one lockdown beginning early that year in March, with restrictions that had been gradually eased over the summer but, in many areas, the beginning of autumn had seen a sharp jump in cases of the then, local hospitals were on the verge of being overwhelmed and on the eve of the new lockdown staff from the Royal Liverpool's critical care unit appeared on BBC News urging the public not to have one final night muffled behind masks and layers of PPE, they spoke of their dismay and disbelief that it was all happening again, and their fears for the weeks ahead."This is not sustainable. This just isn't sustainable," nurse Louise Lightfoot told the and a half years on, looking back at that TV report, Louise gives a little shudder. "Seeing it now brings back the memories of working in that intense environment and reminds me of how resilient we were," she said."It was a very scary time – unprecedented. However, we came together and we worked together the best way we know how."The pressure on critical care units became ever more intense as patient numbers increased."I think there was a lot of adrenaline pumping. A lot of us didn't really stop to process how stressful it was at the time," said once that adrenaline had ebbed, many critical care staff around the country struggled to process what they had gone through and the beginning of the pandemic in particular the death rate in intensive care units had been more than twice the normal also struggled with the fact that relatives were unable to visit patients until the end - and sometimes not at said some of her colleagues had ended up with post-traumatic stress disorder and others had left nursing altogether."The aftermath just impacted too much on their own lives so they just came away and did something completely different. "I just think the critical care environment is quite a stressful environment anyway day to day so I think with Covid on top of that, the immense pressure people were feeling was just too much for them to carry on day to day."Louise still works on the unit but changed her job to work as a staff trainer, a fact she partly puts down to having worked through says she uses the pandemic and examples from it during her teaching sessions but other than that: "We don't tend to talk that much about it. I think it's because people don't want to think about it."The Royal Liverpool moved to a new hospital building in 2022. 'Never again' The old building, which sits opposite the new, is currently being torn down. Louise said the move had made it easier for staff to break with the past."They don't want to look back at that. I think the staff just want to look forward now rather than back"But some changes made during the pandemic have control, always important in critical care, was tightened during Covid and remains so said staff were now more vigilant in asking patients' relatives to wear masks if they had a cough or a cold."Now we are thankfully in a place where we can put it behind us but also I just want people to be aware," she said."Hopefully we will never see anything like this again in our lifetime but we can never say never. We don't want to see anything on that scale again." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
