Rory McIlroy is a phenomenon. His genius lies in his ability, more often than not, to bend a golf ball to

his will. He finds power that seems unrelated to his modest size and he finds the desire to practice, to

improve and to overcome the fluttering wings of nervous anticipation when he reaches the sharp end of

the biggest weeks.

He is a natural at the game but he is also

that rarest of things, a natural winner.

The fact that he combines this sporting

precocity with an instinctive grace and an

apparently abiding humility means that

we may not just admire him for what he

does but actually like him at the same

time. As one American writer observed

recently: “If Rory was a puppy you would

want to tickle his tummy.” Quite so.

Now, some 14 years after winning the

World Under-Ten Championship in

Florida, he sits spectacularly astride

professional golf. The undisputed World

Number One, he has the world at his feet.

His has not been a rollercoaster ride to

the very top but a jet-propelled elevation

that, the odd blip aside, has been as

predictable as these unpredictable things

can be.

Ten years ago, in conversation with Jack

Macgowan, who at that time covered

boxing and golf for the Belfast Telegraph,

the topic of a kid called Rory McIlroy

came up. “Believe me, he is very special,

the best I’ve ever clapped eyes on for his

age,” said Jack. “He is also a nice lad from

a nice family. I just want you to know he is

definitely worthy of your attention.”

Sadly, Jack died in April 2009 so he

never quite knew how true his words

were or how keenly accurate his early

observation of a young golfer had been.

Rory reminded him of no-one as much

as he reminded him of Christy O’Connor

or ‘Himself’ as the great man was called.

Christy played golf with an instinctive,

natural abandon. It was all in his head

and his hands and Jack saw the same

genius in this young boy.

46 Number One in The Race to Dubai

Natural WinnerRORY McILROY

Number One in The Race to Dubai 47

ww

w.w

arst

eine

r.com

Premium German beerwith a Global rePutationn no. 1 imported Premium Pilsner among the German private breweries*

n enjoyed in more than 60 countries around the globe

as passionate about brewingas you are about golf.

* Source: Euromonitor International Limited; Alcoholic Drinks 2011; as per Premium Imported Lager definition; total (on- and off-trade) company global volume sales; 2011.

Around the same time as this

conversation, McIlroy had been asked

to tell some other young golfers how

he hit a fade as opposed to a draw or

a low ball compared to a high one. His

answer summed him up perfectly. “Oh, I

don’t know,” he said. “I just think ‘draw’

or ‘fade’ and then that’s what I hit.”

Instinctive genius perhaps but, at 13, he

also knew the exact lofts and lies of every

club in his bag and the precise distance

he could achieve with them. None of his

peers at a gathering of young Irish talent

knew this sort of thing. No wonder the

coach was impressed.

His is an unlikely story of golfing triumph.

The only child to Rosie and Gerry, most

of us are now keenly aware of how they

worked ungodly hours to fund their

prodigal son’s progress. As a toddler he

had been taken to Holywood Golf Club

by Gerry – himself a decent player –

and watched while his dad hit practice

balls. Gerry did this because his wife

was sleeping after another night shift

in a factory. Gerry, meanwhile, worked

as a cleaner in the mornings and

then tended the golf club bar, often

putting in double shifts.

It was a hell of a commitment and

although unquestionably hard

at times, when these thoughts

emerged Rosie would quietly say:

“Keep going, it’s what Rory wants

to do and one day it will be worth

it.” Gerry, meanwhile, will now tell

you: “I’m a working class man and

doing those jobs was all I knew

to get the money we needed for

Rory to be able to learn and to

compete at golf. But I want to

make it clear, golf was not our

dream, it was Rory’s.”

This last assertion is obvious

to anyone who has met Mr

and Mrs McIlroy. As Forbes

Magazine recently put it: “Gerry

McIlroy, seemingly unlike most

fathers of prominent young

athletes in individual sports,

is notable because he is not

With playing partner Ian Poulter at The 2012 Ryder Cup

In action during the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down

Number One in The Race to Dubai 49

an obsessive, out of control nutball.”

Meanwhile Karl MacGinty of The Irish

Independent points out simply: “The great

thing about Gerry is that he always steps

away and lets Rory get on with it.”

This is why, having taught an eager son

the rudiments of the game, Gerry was

astute enough to know when Rory needed

a more accomplished teacher and handed

him over to his club’s professional

Michael Bannon. The boy was eight years

old at the time and Bannon is still his

coach, joining the McIlroy team full-time

in the summer of 2012.

This sort of loyalty, though carefully

considered, appears a trademark of

McIlroy’s. When he fell apart during

the final round of the 2011 Masters

Tournament there were loud howls

from some hysterical corners for him to

instantly discard caddie JP Fitzgerald.

These howls were, rightly, ignored and

Fitzgerald is still firmly in control of the

most coveted bag in golf.

Of course Fitzgerald’s guidance two

months later when the US Open

Championship was won by eight shots,

rather made the earlier squeals of

50 Number One in The Race to Dubai

With dad Gerry at Holywood Golf Club

disapproval appear as daft as they

seemed to some of us at the time.

However, if McIlroy feels change is

required then he clearly does not

hesitate. His move late last year from

the International Sports Management

company that had looked after him

from the moment he decided to turn

professional to the Dublin-based Horizon

Sports, was as swift, dramatic and

unexpected as it was conclusive. Hard

evidence that McIlroy is his own man.

Furthermore, if we thought 2011 was a

stellar year for our hero then 2012 moved

everything up another significant gear.

In total he played 24 tournaments, won

five of them including, of course, the US

PGA Championship and finished in the

top ten 15 times. His five consecutive

birdie finish to win the DP World Tour

Championship, Dubai and thus sealing

his annus mirabilus, was a masterclass in

considered brilliance, a burst of stunning

play only previously seen from golf’s true

greats - Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus,

Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods.

His stroke average in the United States

was a stellar 68.87 and good enough for

him to take the Vardon Trophy

there with Woods in second

place on 68.9. Despite this, he

and Tiger seemed to become

genuine pals along the way

with Woods happily saying:

“We have so much in

common.” Rory contented

himself by saying of their

bromance: “It’s pretty

cool to hang around with

him.” It is, however, surely

no coincidence that the

year ended with McIlroy

signing a long-term deal

with Tiger’s long-term

backers Nike.

No wonder Rory says

that while he can never

repay his mum and dad

for what they did for

him growing up, they at

least know they will never have to work

another day in their lives.

At 23, he has many years yet to win more

Major Championships, top more money

lists and enchant even more people, and

if he is to improve then, to this observer’s

eye at least, the only real flaw he needs

to address is his occasional loss of focus

when he is not at his best. If, however,

this really is his only blemish, then we

are undoubtedly watching one of the

truly great careers unfold in front of our

privileged eyes.

What is certainly true is that he has yet

to combat any really bad injury, any

on-going loss of form or, dare one say

it, heartache. His romance with tennis

star Caroline Wozniacki inevitably comes

under intense scrutiny whenever they

meet up but they seem still able to mostly

enjoy themselves in the carefree manner

that young men and women should.

It was, of course, while chatting on the

phone to Caroline in Chicago that McIlroy

came close to missing his Sunday tee

time in The Ryder Cup. In the end he was

rescued by a kind policeman with fast

driving skills but it was a close call and it

reminded everyone that he is human. The

consequences for him if he had missed

With the US PGA Championship trophy

Number One in The Race to Dubai 51

MONDAYAUGUST 13 2012

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk70p (ROI €1)

NORTHERNIRELAND’SDAILYNEWSPAPERFINAL

NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR

... and it’s farewell to Games where we won a record five medalsOLYMPICSEND WITH ABANG: SEEPAGES4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 + SPORT

McIlroy beats off rivals – and theweather – to win second major

Rory storms to victorySEE NEWS,PAGES 2&3

AND SPORT

Rory McIlroy holds upthe USPGA trophy atKiawah Island

that opening drive are, frankly, too dire to contemplate except to say that

he would have been hammered and his reputation damaged. Instead

he just made it before winning his match against Keegan Bradley to

play his part in Europe’s stunning comeback. Once again, for Rory,

everything turned out just fine. It was a close call though.

So now here he is on top of everything, richer that most of us can ever

imagine and destined to become even more so. He also no longer

carries the signs of youth, no longer has those early puppy dog looks.

It is a leaner-cheeked, more physically mature man who heads into

2013.

He admits that he loves the big stage but that he is humbled by what

he has achieved this year. It is a typical McIlroy comment and one

that adds reassuring fuel to the thought that here we have a player

who knows that even when you are standing astride the world, it is

hugely advantageous to keep both feet firmly on the ground.

“One of the biggest things for me is longevity,” he said. “I don’t

want to suffer burnout. I don’t want to get to 30 or 35 and find

myself fed up with the game. I want to pace myself.”

All of us who love seeing this old game played properly, sincerely

hope he succeeds in that quest.

Bill Elliott

Golf Monthly

52 Number One in The Race to Dubai

With mum Rosie and dad Gerry celebrating his first European Tour victory in Dubai 2009

With girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki

Number One in The Race to Dubai 53

THE 2012 RACE TO DUBAI FINAL STANDINGS

¤ 1 RORY McILROY 5,519,118 2 Justin Rose 3,768,345

3 Louis Oosthuizen 3,187,364

4 Peter Hanson 3,022,916

5 Ian Poulter 2,581,257

6 Branden Grace 2,502,501

7 Luke Donald 2,373,540

8 Francesco Molinari 2,215,229

9 Graeme McDowell 1,945,056

10 Paul Lawrie 1,910,381

11 Nicolas Colsaerts 1,745,744

12 Lee Westwood 1,671,456

13 Matteo Manassero 1,595,093

14 Marcel Siem 1,368,845

15 Thorbjørn Olesen 1,309,271

RORY McILROY - FACTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Established a new Race to Dubai record for single season earnings with €5,519,118.

Became the second player, following Luke Donald in 2011, to finish Number One in Europe and America in the same season.

Aged 23 years and 100 days became the youngest player to win his first two Majors since Seve Ballesteros, who was 23 years and four days old when he won the 1980 Masters Tournament, following The Open Championship in 1979.

His eight shot winning margin in the US PGA Championship created a new record for the largest winning margin in that Championship, beating the seven stroke triumph of Jack Nicklaus in 1980.

As a result of winning the US PGA Championship, he went back to Number One in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Moved over €15 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings from just 115 European Tour events.

Won an average of €367,941 per event on The 2012 European Tour.

Was a total of 88 under par for his 14 European Tour stroke play events in 2012.