It can be disconcerting getting a text from your mother when she should be fast asleep in bed but on the night of a Rory McIlroy victory, I can breathe easy knowing it’s just Mam wanting to debrief.
I was only in the office an hour when the phone lit up with her name; a ten-hour time difference between Brisbane and Dublin easily bridged via WhatsApp.
“So happy to see a new Rory,” she wrote, and she’d know, in the way that all Irish mammies tend to know everything.
In fairness to her, Mam’s been following Rory closely for over a decade. The last time I moved to Australia she adopted him to fill the void I left behind. We were around the same age, I guess, and we both made a career out of golf, one slightly more successful. McIlroy’s face on the television became part of the furniture in an otherwise empty house, and despite returning home like the prodigal son in 2015, Mam remained by Rory’s side to this day, rewarding the company he provided across all those lonely weekends with an unwavering loyalty only a mother could give.
Over the ensuing decade, she’s been through the highs and the lows, more hard-earned trophies, tears at Portrush and Whistling Straits, the toll taken in the LIV Golf battle, swing changes, marriage speculation and endless Major heartbreak. And through it all she’s continued to believe, perhaps more than McIlroy has believed in himself. At least until now.
“His smile was so natural and happy and really warm,” she noted. “There’s a great confidence in him and his whole demeanour and interactions were noticeably stress-free. Or at least as stress-free as possible in a big tournament.”
Dad might’ve got me into golf but maybe it was Mam who inspired the journalism? Either way, it’s hard to argue with Mam’s wisdom – McIlroy is in a very good place with his game.
Naturally a victory is testament to that, but two bogey-free rounds represent big progress in the silly error department. He led the field in Strokes Gained Off The Tee (5.970), highlighting that when McIlroy’s biggest weapon is firing, few can compete with his game. And he also took advantage of some monstruous drives with astute approach play, combining dialled wedges, spin control and a hot putter to complete a mightily encouraging performance on a big golf course that had long eluded his CV.
This year, McIlroy might’ve said his goal is to become a bit more like Scottie Scheffler but deep down he’ll be targeting a return to his vintage old self in his bid to arrest a barren Major spell dating back to 2014. It’s certainly been trending in the right direction in recent years. Consistency has come with maturity and while greater obstacles lie in wait, I’ve already seen enough to fully invest in this journey with a rejuvenated belief that McIlroy will break through a Major door once more.
For now though, I should probably take a leaf out of Mam’s book and stay present.
“I’m just celebrating this one,” she signed off, “and how I perceive his mental health to be at present. I’m just so happy for him, and of course, for Shane too.”
She’s right, again. Too often we take these victories for granted. I’m as guilty as anyone for living in a Major vacuum. And while part of that is down to the current state of the men’s golf ecosystem, even I can step back and appreciate the rarified air that McIlroy breathes. A man born on the island of Ireland now with 27 victories on the PGA Tour, and counting. It will be a long time before the island produces another like him.
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