Rory's Glory

 

 

 

 

© G2 Rights 2014. All rights reserved.

Design and layout: Alex Young

Publishers: Edward Adams and Jules Gammond for G2 Rights

First published in the UK in 2014 by G2 Rights,
Unit 7, Whiffens Farm, Clement Street, Hextable, Kent, BR8 7PQ

The right of Justin Doyle to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of all the copyright holders.

ISBN: 978-1-782811-30-5
eISBN: 978-1-782819-86-8

The views in this book are those of the author but they are general views only and readers are urged to consult the relevant and qualified specialists for individual advice in particular situations.

G2 Rights hereby exclude all liability to the extent permitted by law of any errors or omissions in this book and for any loss, damage or expense (Whether direct or indirect) suffered by a third party relying on any information contained in this book.

Contents

Rory's Driver!

Foreword
by Tony Jacklin CBE

Introduction

Chapter 1:    
Splitting From Westy & Chubbs

Chapter 2:    
Irish Golf's First World Number One

Chapter 3:    
Augusta – A Sobering Return

Chapter 4:    
Made in the USPGA

Chapter 5:    
Possessed

Chapter 6:    
Seve's Miracle of Medinah
(2012 Ryder Cup Part 1)

Chapter 7:    
Rory Avoids Ryder Disqualification!
(2012 Ryder Cup Part 2)

Chapter 8:    
The Doldrums

Chapter 9:    
Court v Club v Country

Chapter 10:  
Waltzing Australia

Chapter 11:  
‘Wozzilroy'

Chapter 12:  
The Split

Chapter 13:  
Hoylake Ahoy!

Chapter 14:  
Excellence

Chapter 15:  
From Eagles to Gleneagles

 

 

Belgium, March 2012

Dear Mr. Doyle,

I have read your book ‘Rory, His Story So Far' with great interest and pleasure.

To be honest, before September last year I did notice Rory arriving on the golf scene but when watching golf on TV, I took more interest in Tiger Woods and at a later stage Lee Westwood. But even of those players I have never read any book or followed them via Facebook or Twitter.

Since September I am following ‘Rors' in almost every manner. Why? During the KLM Open of 2011 I had the honour of being his dedicated chauffeur from Wednesday to Sunday. Although the playing schedule was terribly affected by the bad weather (rain and later thunderstorms), the organization did very well to manage the tournament over four days. This affected Rory's plans to have dinner and a visit to Amsterdam for which he asked me for some advice I even checked restaurants.

What amazed me was how mature he was for 22 years of age and how down to earth he was in all ways. In fact with his cap on, he almost looked shy. I was impressed from day one and when reading your book everything was confirming my impression of Rory McIlroy. Obviously during our 15 minute drive to and from the hotel we did not have lengthy discussions! But only some exchange of remarks; as a driver you are expected not to interfere or ‘only talk when being talked to'. But the few remarks were pleasant and more than enough to have some impression.

I think ISM did a great job guiding and protecting Rory in a way that allowed him to grow up as a person he is now. Keeping him away from the media in his younger years was an appropriate thing to do. When you are at the age of Lee Westwood or Luke Donald then you can leave them to handle the media, not when you are in your early twenties.

Chapter 10
was well written: Controversies. Everybody is allowed to have his opinion and sometimes it is better to count to 10 before speaking out. I think Rory is still learning but instead of reacting in the media, more and more he lets his game of golf speak! I am looking forward to his encounters with Tiger and their meeting gave me great pleasure: their smiles on their face enjoying the game and having respect for each other.

Last but not least, I do not know whether you keep contact with Rory or his parents but whenever I see him on television, my family and me are proud to have met him.

Thank you very much for the creation of this book, hope there are many more to follow.

Kind regards,

Henri Vermeesch

S
imply put, I see Rory McIlroy as a prince of a young man. He is intelligent; he seems to have a wonderful strength of mind and a clear sense of purpose. He always has time for people and, in terms of golfing ability, Rory has everything.

He is a tremendous tee-to-green player and is one of the best drivers of the ball I have seen – and believe me, I have seen a few. That combination of long and straight makes the game a lot easier for him and I see no reason why he cannot reach double figures in his quest for Major glory. Equally, if he looks after himself, I can see him completing the Grand Slam with a win at Augusta in the not too distant future.

People have, on occasion, made comparisons between Rory and myself. We both hail from the British Isles and left these shores to test ourselves in the States at an early age. We were both eager to learn at that stage and success visited us both pretty quickly. However, Rory inhabits a very different golfing environment to the one I found myself in back in the 1960s.

I was one of a small number of foreign players in the US and the Americans resented our presence and made life as difficult as they could for us. Of course, the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer were different and ready to take us on in a sporting fashion but Rory faced different challenges when he first went over the pond.

The US Tour is much more welcoming nowadays, with a third of its players coming from overseas, but the attention from the media and the pressure that brings with it are intense. As a talented lad, things were expected of Rory from the outset but he committed fully and chose to make his move to America permanent. That is something I should have done all those years ago so it is good to see him learning from the experiences of others.

Rory has achieved great things already and clearly has time on his side. I doubt very much, however, that he will be thinking that way. I can see he wants to get stuck in and take things as far as he can. He knows the ball is in his court, so to speak, and that he must stay hungry.

From what I hear, he seems to be surrounding himself with the right kind of people, the ones with his best interests at heart, and his father is rightly at the centre of that.

He has also learnt at a young age that he does not have to play every single week and seems to appreciate the need for balance in his life. He reminds me of Nicklaus in that way. Jack never risked burn-out because he took breaks from playing to raise his family and design a course or two.

By maintaining a similar balance Rory can hold on to his hunger, specifically target the Majors and hopefully cement his name in golf history.

As humans we are all vulnerable and mistakes or misjudgments can be made but, if Rory can stay free from injury and keep the fire in his belly, he has the world at his feet.

He has come along at the right time and, although you should never write off Tiger, Rory is more than capable of taking on his mantle and establishing a lasting dominance in this game we all love.

I wish this young and highly talented Northern Irishman every bit of luck in fulfilling his extraordinary potential.

 

 

B
efore I began putting pen to paper on my first biography of Rory McIlroy, entitled ‘Rory – His Story So Far', I ventured up to his home town of Holywood, just outside Belfast in Northern Ireland.

I wanted to get a feel for everything Rory. What he saw when he grew up in the area, what sort of golf course he trawled with his father as a boy, the local shops (and even the bars!) he would have frequented, and I also took in the local school he attended.

In actual fact, Sullivan Upper High School was one of my first ports of call, and on the day I travelled there I just missed meeting Rory himself! When I went into the school's main hall it was still stuffy and very warm from a big welcome home party for him.

The school's most famous and favourite son had just won his first major – the US Open. High above the rows and rows of (by now empty) seats were banners reading ‘Congratulations Rory', and I cursed my luck that I had missed an opportunity to say hello.

A few days later, I began work on what eventually turned out to be a very proud assignment. In managing to get the legendary Gary Player to write the foreword, the icing topped the cake.

The book began with my referring to the abundance of holly trees which grow in a wooded area at Glenlyon, which is just 500 metres walk uphill off the town's main street and so, rather appropriately, the name ‘Holywood' was formed.