McIlroy Impresses Peers & Discusses Win; Dad's Faith Rewarded


Rory McIlroy's wire-to-wire victory in the 143rd Open Championship was impressive, especially for a 25-year-old. The Northern Irishman shot four under-par rounds of 66, 66, 68 and 71 at Royal Liverpool to finish at 17-under 271, two strokes ahead of Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia, who each took home silver salvers for their runner-up finishes.

In addition to his name being etched on the claret jug along some of the game's most hallowed players, McIlroy earned $1,665,787. On Monday he moved to No. 2 in the World Golf Ranking, trailing only Adam Scott of Australia.

McIlroy - who won the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship - is the 17th golfer in history to win three Grand Slam titles. He also joins Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods - the all-time major winners with 18 and 14, respectively - as the only players 25 or younger to win three majors.

McIlroy is just a Masters win away from becoming the sixth player in history to win a career Grand Slam, joining the rarified company of Nicklaus, Woods, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.

Family Ties

The flop-haired kid from Holywood, County Down, has enjoyed strong family support for his golfing prowess soon after he left the cradle. His father Gerry, a fine player himself, introduced Rory to golf at age two. Gerry held down several jobs to bring in money to help his son's development, and his mother Rosie worked extra shifts at the local 3M plant to help fund his tournament travels.

Gerry's belief in his son paid off in a big way Sunday after Rory had his name etched on the jug. In 2004, Gerry wagered 200 pounds (about $342) that his son would win the British Open before age 26, getting 500-1 odds from British betting company Ladbrokes. When Rory won the tournament, that ticket was worth $171,000.

Two other 200-pound bets by friends of the family in 2005 will cost Ladbrokes another $137,000. A company spokesman told ESPN that one of the bets was for McIlroy to win the Open by 2015 (at 250-1 odds) and another was for him to win it before age 50 (at 150-1 odds).

More importantly for Rory - who was aware of his dad's wager ("He's never reminded me" Rory said Sunday) - was that his mother was finally able to witness her son receiving one of golf's biggest trophies. "My mom hasn't been at the previous two major wins. It was just my dad. And it was just great to see her on the back of the 18th there and how much it meant to her," he said following his post-round press conference (see below for the full transcript).

"I was trying not to cry at the time because she was bawling her eyes out. But it was just - the support of my parents has been incredible. And even growing up and doing everything, the sacrifices that they made for me. But even up to this day they're the two people in this world that I can talk to anything about. I couldn't ask to have two better parents. They're there for me at the worst of times, like this time last year after missing the cut at Muirfield, or the best of times walking off as the 'Champion Golfer of the Year' this year. I can't speak highly enough of my parents. They're the best people in the world."

Comments by Fellow Players

Many players weighed in on McIlroy's dominating performance at Hoylake. Here's what a few of them had to say.

Tom Watson (five-time British Open champion playing in his next-to-last Open): "You learn a lot from your failures. And (Rory will) come back stronger. I know it was a burden on him. The frustration was there with him. All golfers feel the same frustration. You've gone through the low spells. You've gone through the times where you couldn't break an egg, and yet we still try. We try our hardest to make it happen. We practice as hard as we possibly can and nothing happens, that's the frustration. That's what the game does to you. And then finally all of a sudden the light switch will turn on, something will make a change in your golf swing, and it gets easy. That's what happened to me many times in my career, and it seems like it's happened to Rory."

Tiger Woods (14-time major champion and three-time claret jug winner): "Well, you can see - the way he plays is pretty aggressively. When he gets it going, he gets it going. When it gets going bad, it gets going real bad. It's one or the other. If you look at his results, he's kind of that way. Very similar to what Phil (Mickelson) does. He has his hot weeks and he has his weeks where he's off. And that's just the nature of how he plays the game. It's no right way or wrong way. But it's just the nature of how he plays.

"If he drives it like he is right now and he's making the putts again, that's something that's been missing a little bit. He hasn't really made the amount of putts that he did a couple of years ago. But now he's starting to make those 10- to 15-footers. That turns rounds around. You make two or three birdies in a row, you make a par putt here and there. Next thing you know a round you would normally shoot 1- or 2-over, and all of a sudden it's 69. And then you get the hot round and it's 66 or 65."

Phil Mickelson (defending Open champion with majors about Rory's three majors at such a young age): "That's a pretty impressive thing for him to do, especially given that the one that he's missing is the Masters. And you know with his length and the way he plays and how well he plays that golf course, that that definitely will happen and probably soon. And that just shows that he's such a complete player at such a young age."

Fowler (two straight second-place finishes in the U.S. and British Opens) about McIlroy's chances at Augusta National: "I really don't have any doubt that he'll win there. It would be nice if I can get him first there. I don't see any reason why he's not going to win there. Definitely fits his game. It's hard to say that there's really any course that doesn't suit him when he's on his game. And I've seen him play very well there. It's just a matter of time. Like I said, it would be nice if I can get that one before he does."

McIlroy's Post-Round Q&A

After the awards ceremony on a glorious late-Sunday at Hoylake, McIlroy met with reporters and discussed his day, how he kept his focus in check and what the Open victory means personally. Here's what he told the media.

MODERATOR: I'm delighted to welcome the 2014 Open champion, Rory McIlroy, to the interview room. Rory, congratulations. It's a fantastic performance. I believe that makes you the only the third person after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to win the third major championship by the age of 25, and the first wire-to-wire winner of the Open since Tiger Woods in 2005. How does it feel to lift the Claret Jug and follow in such illustrious footsteps?

RORY McILROY: It feels absolutely incredible. It's sort of cool that they put your name on there even before you get it. So that was a nice little touch. Yeah, it's been an incredible week. I'm happy I gave myself enough of a cushion today, because there was a lot of guys coming at me, especially Sergio and Rickie. Just to be sitting here and looking at this thing and having my name on it, it's a great feeling. It obviously hasn't sunk in yet. I'm going to enjoy it and let it sink in tonight in the company of my friends and family.

Q. You told us on Thursday you have these two trigger words, and you would reveal to us what they were if you won on Sunday. Can you do so, please?

RORY McILROY: Very simple. It's going to be a big letdown for everyone. It was "process" and "spot". That was it. With my long shots I just wanted to stick to my process and stick to making good decisions, making good swings. The process of making a good swing, if I had any sort of little swing thoughts, just keeping that so that the end result wasn't - I wasn't thinking about the end result, basically.

And then "spot" was for my putting. I was just picking a spot on the green and trying to roll it over my spot, roll it over my spot every time. I wasn't thinking about holing it. I wasn't thinking about what it would mean or how many further clear it would get me. I just wanted to roll that ball over that spot. If that went in, then great. If it didn't, then I'd try it the next hole. So "process" and "spot", that's all I kept telling myself all week.

Q. From the now-it-can-be-told department when did you become aware of the bet that your father and his friends had placed on you? How often did he remind you of it? And do you think he was more nervous than you today?

RORY McILROY: Honestly, that 50 grand that he's going to win is way - I mean, the other three friends that he did that with, they're going to be very happy (laughter). He's never reminded me. I knew that he'd done it. I'm not sure if it will pay out. If it does, it's a nice little bonus.

Q. Around 5, 6 when you went bogey, bogey and into the bunker on 7, your mindset at that point? And were you going for the pin?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, 5 was a bad bogey, and then to follow that up with another bogey, it was a bad mistake. So on 7, I hit a decent tee shot. I knew I just leaked it right in the rough, and didn't have much control over the ball. And it was a lie where with a wedge you still couldn't get much spin with it. So I thought I needed to start it left for the wind to try to take it back, and the wind just never took it back.

So I was going somewhat at the flag, but I thought the wind was going to blow it further right and it didn't. That was crucial. That stretch of holes there, 7, 8, 9, 10, were a big stretch of hole for me today. Getting up and down on 7. I played really good shots into the 8th hole and made a par. The birdie on 9 and 10 were big, especially with Sergio pushing there, and making eagle on 10, for example. It kept me a couple of shots to the good, and I could feel a little more comfortable on the back nine.

Q. First of all, what is the pride factor from deep inside on how you did this? And is it a total dream come true when you actually touched that Jug? Was it the way you thought it would be?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm immensely proud of myself. To sit here 25 years of age and win my third major championship and be three-quarters of the way to the career Grand Slam, yeah, I never dreamed of being at this point in my career so quickly. Especially being someone from around here - the Open Championship was the one you really wanted growing up, and the one you holed so many putts on the putting green to win, to beat Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, whatever. Didn't quite need to hole a putt today to do it, just a little tap-in, which was nice. As I said there at the start, it hasn't really sunk in left. The more I keep looking at this trophy and seeing my name on it, the more it will starting sinking in.

Q. Are you looking forward to the trip to Disney World? Maybe you can get a Florida discount? Your dad said they called into sources that you'll pay for a trip to Disney World as the money for the bet?

RORY McILROY: For who?

Q. For you.

RORY McILROY: For me? I've already been to Disney World. I want to go somewhere else. Maybe Universal or Sea World. I don't know. It's his money, he can do what he likes with it.

Q. So the third major championship putts you in the same bracket as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Do you have the same drive and ambition as those guys to dominate the sport in a similar fashion?

RORY McILROY: I definitely hope so. I've really found my passion again for golf. Not that it ever dwindled, but it's what I think about when I get up in the morning. It's what I think about when I go to bed. I just want to be the best golfer that I can be. And I know if I can do that, then trophies like this are within my capability. I'd love to win a lot more and really looking forward to - even though there's still one major left this year that I want to desperately try and win, I looking forward to next April and trying to complete the career Grand Slam.

Q. How significant was yesterday's finish in what you've just done? And what sort of figure did you set yourself for today?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, yesterday's finish proved to be very important. Those two eagles went a long way in deciding this championship. And just to be able to pull clear like that was nice. It gave me that cushion, as I said. What figure? 20. 20-under. So try shooting 4-under today. Didn't quite get to that. Didn't quite need to, thankfully. But that was the target I set for myself. I knew if I got that, if I shot that, then no one was going to catch me. I didn't need to do that much today, thankfully. But I think it's always good to set a target for yourself, so you don't really - you don't think about what other guys are doing as much, and you just try and focus on that number.

Q. I think it was in Charlotte that you said you noticed in Augusta that your putting was a little bit misaligned, and that was something you figured out. And I was curious, you've been excellent since then, was that a big turning point in your year?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, it was a huge turning point. I remember it well, the 6th green in Augusta on Sunday. I just lined it up. I don't know if any of you guys watched my sort of routine now before I play, but I always spend about 15 or 20 minutes on this putting mirror, before I go out to play. I go to the putting green and I do that. Then I go back and hit balls and then I come back and hit some putts. That mirror has been a big help for me just to fix my alignment a little bit and get my align right. Ever since then I've putted very well.

Q. Padraig, when he won, said that his kids stored ladybugs inside the Claret Jug. And Phil said expensive wine was in there. Any thoughts on what's going to be making it's way into that Jug while it's under your care now?

RORY McILROY: There could be everything or anything in this thing. I'm not too sure. I've got a few friends with me that could fill it with a few things. Seeing it's the Claret Jug, I think it's only right to fill it with red wine first, and good red wine as Phil said. We'll try to find a good bottle of that tonight somewhere. But, yeah, this thing will be nice to have in my possession for a year. I'm excited to go back to St. Andrews next year. St. Andrews is my favorite Open venue. I can't wait to defend this thing there.

Q. 2014 is obviously turning into a very different year to 2013. I wonder, can I ask you, now that you've come through it, what was the lowest point of your struggles last year?

RORY McILROY: This time last year.

Q. But more than that when you spoke all the time that you didn't doubt that you would return to form, privately did you have doubts at any stage that you would get back to it?

RORY McILROY: No, I never had doubts. You can't doubt your own ability and you can't doubt - all I had to do was look back at some of the great tournaments that I played. The ability was still there. That wasn't it. It was just trying to find a way to make it come out again. But, yeah, definitely missing the cut at Muirfield last year was a very low point. I never missed a cut at the Open before.

And I really missed playing the weekend. I said to myself, I'll try to never make that happen again. It's been huge what a difference a year makes, I guess. But it's turned into a great year. The win at Wentworth was huge. And obviously getting my third major is a huge step in the right direction. There's many more tournaments and many more trophies that I want to win. I'm just going to enjoy this one right now.

Q. Just when you were really needing maximum concentration and the guys were throwing everything at you, you clearly had a major problem with a spectator. You pointed him out. Could you fill us in on what happened there?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, he was giving me grief all day, actually. And I sort of put it up for the first 15 holes, and then he deliberately coughed on my downswing on the 16th tee. I still hit a great drive. But I heard it halfway down and I knew who it was. So I turned around and got him chucked out, thankfully.

Q. It wasn't a bet maker, was it?

RORY McILROY: I don't know who it was. But I didn't have him bothering me for the last two holes, which was nice.

Q. Despite revealing your football allegiances, you've had some great support from the Merseyside crowds. After two successful Opens in the last eight years, would you like to see Hoylake become a regular Open venue now?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think Hoylake is a great course to be on the Open rota. It's a good test. We didn't play it in its hardest conditions this week, and that's why the scores were quite low. But it is, it's a great golf course. It's a very fair golf course, I think. I'd like to see it back on - I'd like to come back here in the future, for sure. As I said, even being a Manchester United fan in these parts, I got great support all week, and I just wanted to thank them for that.

Q. Does your dad have a wager in when you'll win the Grand Slam?

RORY McILROY: Not that I know of. You'll have to ask him.

Q. Just about your preparation after last year at Muirfield, did you put in any extra work in to get ready for links golf this year?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I put in a lot of extra work in. I practiced a lot of different shots that I might need. And for the most part this week I didn't really need them that much. The weather was quite benign, and the wind wasn't too strong. But I prepared much better this year. I went and played four competitive rounds of links golf at the Scottish Open last week up in Aberdeen, which really helped. I came early, got a few practice rounds in. Felt very comfortable with the golf course.

I played my two practice rounds ten days previous to the tournament. I played seven holes on Tuesday. And then I played sort of six - 15, 16 holes on Wednesday early in the morning. So I felt like my preparation was really good. And I hit some different shots that I might need for links golf. It obviously worked out pretty well. So I'll be doing it in the future.

Q. A quick follow-up from that question, will you be playing the Scottish Open next year ahead of your title defense at St. Andrews?

RORY McILROY: At this point I'd say no reason why I wouldn't. Gullane is not going to be too far from St. Andrews, either. So obviously it's an easy commute. Yeah, I don't see any reason why not at the minute.

Q. You're aware of the stats today, the third youngest person to get the three-quarter Grand Slam, only the 10th person to win wire-to-wire the Open Championship. I think many of us feel here in this room and also out on the course that you're poised now to dominate golf. Is that something that you feel?

RORY McILROY: I've sort of talked about this a little bit this year in press conferences, and some of the guys will have heard me say that golf is looking to someone to put their hand up and try. And I said at that time I want to be that person. I want be to be the guy that goes on and wins majors and wins majors regularly, wins tournaments. I'd like to be - I'd love to be in that position. And I've had chances before to kick on from there. I did after my second major at Kiawah. I kicked on for another six months and played really well. But after that I really want to - I just want to think ahead and go forward and try and win as many tournaments and as many majors as I can, because I feel like there's a lot more left in me.

Q. You mentioned this on the 18th green, but it was obviously very important for you to have your mother here when you won. Can you talk about what that meant to you?

RORY McILROY: Yeah. My mom hasn't been at the previous two major wins. It was just my dad. And it was just great to see her on the back of the 18th there and how much it meant to her. I was trying not to cry at the time because she was bawling her eyes out. But it was just - the support of my parents has been incredible. And even growing up and doing everything, the sacrifices that they made for me. But even up to this day they're the two people in this world that I can talk to anything about. I couldn't ask to have two better parents. They're there for me at the worst of times, like this time last year after missing the cut at Muirfield, or the best of times walking off as the champion golfer of the year this year. I can't speak highly enough of my parents. They're the best people in the world.

Q. You've obviously had your chance at Augusta. Your game there, how comfortable do you feel there? What have you learned about the place? And just in general your feelings about that tournament?

RORY McILROY: Yeah, I'm getting more comfortable. The thing - I've always been comfortable from tee to green at Augusta. And it's just taken me a few years to figure out the greens and figure out where you need to miss it and some different little shots that you might need that week. I'll be going into Augusta next year pretty confident. It's a course that I, as I say, I feel comfortable off the tee and into the greens. And if I can just figure out the greens a little bit more. What really helped me last year was playing with Jeff Knox in the third round. He's my amateur marker and he's the best I've ever seen on Augusta's greens. I might have to take a couple of trips up before it next year and have a couple of practice rounds with him.

MODERATOR: Thank you again. Congratulations. Wonderful performance. Well played.

The transcript for the above interview is courtesy of ASAP Sports.