McIlroy back with a bang as fans’ favourite draws crowds

THOUSANDS of Irish golf fans spoke with their feet at Baltray yesterday by passing over on several long established stars of the European Tour to watch and support 20-year-old Rory McIlroy.

He has captured the imagination of golfers everywhere and even though it was bitingly cold and drizzling at 8am yesterday, there were up to 500 present when he struck his first shot off the 10th tee in the 3 Irish Open. That number quickly swelled to upward of 3,000 even though the youngster was off to a slow start and indeed was two over after three having taken bogey at the 11th and 12th.

It remained a bit of a struggle for a time but the gallery kept faith with their young hero and cheered loudly when he got up and down from a bunker at 17 to avoid dropping another shot. By this stage he had shaken off his early uncertainty and though his five wood approach to the par five 18th trickled into a green side trap, he came out to four feet for his first birdie of the day.

After that, he could do no wrong and afterwards he happily described the four birdies he picked up on his homeward journey of 33. Hole 2: drive, 3 wood right of green, chipped10 feet past and made it. Hole 3: drive (350 yards), 8 iron (192 yards) short right, chipped to 3 feet, holed it. Hole 6: drive left rough, 5 wood just short of green, chipped to 3 feet, holed it. Hole 9: driver into right semi, 80 yards lob wedge to 8 feet.

“It was great to come back in four under, really nice,” McIlroy said. “The front nine, which was our back nine, is the nine to score on and I was able to do that. Still I didn’t feel comfortable with my game, I was leaking a few out to the right but I’ll work on it this afternoon back home in Holywood with my coach Michael Bannon. I got around in three under, so it’s a solid start.”

The manner in which McIlroy’s game has come on and the maturity he is displaying could hardly be more impressive. He remains unfazed by the little rumpus he kicked up on Wednesday by describing the Ryder Cup as an “exhibition” and claimed he had no regrets for doing so. Nor did it come up for discussion with his partner Colin Montgomerie, Europe captain at Celtic Manor in 2010.

“At the end of the day, that’s what it was, an exhibition,” he maintained. “Don’t get me wrong, it is probably the best spectacle for golf. But it’s for the spectators to enjoy and I just said that sometimes it’s been taken a little bit too seriously.

“It’s a massive event and obviously I’d love to play in it but I’d rather win a major than the Ryder Cup. If I’m ever fortunate enough to get on the team, I’ll enjoy it and enjoy the week and not get fist-pumping and stuff. No it wasn’t mentioned between Colin and myself. I just asked him about his three picks and he was saying if he plays well enough to qualify he’s going to give that away and he’s going to have four picks. So we were just laughing about it.”

It might have been imagined that McIlroy would have been tempted to prefer the glitzy lifestyle of the US to the European circuit but that’s not how he sees it. He may well be something of a home bird and on Wednesday night he enjoyed meeting his parents Gerry and Rosie and joining his mates to watch his beloved Manchester United. And the reception he got yesterday at Baltray further cemented his liking for most things European.

“It’s fantastic, I’m getting a real buzz out of it and there’s a really nice atmosphere,” he glowed. “It’s something that I’ve missed after the Masters. I played Augusta and it was such a good feeling, the last couple of events have been a let down to be honest. To get back here and to see the crowds and the atmosphere, it gets me up for it again.

“What did I learn in the States? I don’t really know. I was able to adapt pretty well to the conditions out there but I feel more comfortable over here, I love the European Tour and for my first event to be back in Ireland is really, really cool. I wouldn’t miss this event for the world. There’s a little bit of pressure and hopefully I can rise to it this week.

“America took me a little by surprise. The crowds here are very knowledgeable and respect what you’re doing. I feel a little more comfortable over here because it’s not as full on. It’s very busy in America, you’re always doing something, there’s a lot of people on the range. It’s nice to get back to Europe for that.”

The one fear that some have with a 20-year-old is that he might tinker with his swing although coach Bannon certainly wouldn’t encourage him in that direction. Rory is a natural swinger of a golf club. On the other hand, he would also be unwise to ignore the odd flaw that might creep into his game and again he lives up to his image as a man with a wise head on his young shoulders.

“The couple of bogeys I made early on I left out to the right and that’s been my bad shot all day,” he recognised.

“You know, I was able to get away with it a bit today but I’ve got a lot of work to do, to go and hit balls and work a bit with Michael to try to get it straightened out for tomorrow.”

As for his chances of adding the Irish Open to the Dubai Desert Classic captured in February, McIlroy declared: “If I play the way I know I can, I’ll be in the mix on Sunday.”