Fellow pros take time out to celebrate with birthday boy

WINNING tournaments is all nice and fine but when you can do it with a smile and to the very obvious delight of your peers and rivals, it is something very special indeed.

Birthday boy Rory McIlroy achieved both in spectacular fashion in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday. He played blistering golf in a final course record round of 62 that earned him $1.17m (€886,000) a return to 9th in the world golf rankings, 18th on the US Tour with $1,324,743 and a place in the European Ryder Cup.

It is a tendency of world class golfers to head for the airport as soon as they’ve completed their rounds.