Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy, MBEis a Northern Irish professional golfer who is a member of both the European and PGA Tours. He was world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking for 95 weeks. He is a four-time major champion, winning the 2011 U.S Open with a tournament record lowest score under par, 2012 PGA Championship with a tournament record eight strokes victory margin, 2014 Open Championship, and 2014 PGA Championship. Along with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods he is one...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionGolfer
Date of Birth4 May 1989
CityHolywood, Northern Ireland
CountryIreland
As an international sportsman, I am very lucky to be supported by people all over the world, many of who treat me as one of their own, no matter what their nationality, or indeed mine. This is the way sport should be.
I realise that every time my face is on TV or I'm playing in a tournament, that I am a role model for a lot of people and a lot of kids do look up to me. I try to do my best in that regard and put myself across as honestly and as modestly as possible, as well.
My dad's a scratch golfer and I've got the knack of seeing something and then replicating it. I saw my dad swing a club and I worked out how to do the same thing. My backswing and follow-through have been basically the same since I was two.
I want to try to become the best golfer in the world.
How can I intimidate Tiger Woods? I mean, the guy's got 75 or whatever PGA Tour wins, 14 majors. He's been the biggest thing ever in our sport. How could some little 23-year-old from Northern Ireland with a few wins come up and intimidate him.
I'm happy with the success I've had, and I feel like there's been a lot that I've learned this year, and that's a great thing going into the future.
Leaving golf aside for the moment, I'd choose Roger Federer as a sporting role model, Muhammad Ali for a sporting and non-sporting role model and Nelson Mandela as a true and lasting inspiration.
Going to the gym is great for your body, but it's also great for your mind.
I believe that anybody with Mandela's capacity to endure hardship and then forgive is a born leader and example to us all.
You get thrown off balance out there. And I never recovered. Well, I haven't recovered yet.
It's been 18 months since I won on The European Tour and to win the flagship event, I could not have asked for any more.
Fitness plays such an important role in my life, and an integral part of my golf structure, that I think I might be quite good at teaching others the benefits of sport and fitness.
Everything is firing on all cylinders for me,
In a serious sense, wanting to change something from the past doesn't work for me - change something you don't enjoy now rather than regretting it later.