Rory feels benefit of time spent in Haiti

WHEN one of your texting buddies is LeBron James and you decide to nip down to Haiti for UNICEF a week before a major championship it might be easy to conclude that focus may be an issue for Rory McIlroy ahead of his third US Open.

“The kid goes to Haiti the week of the US Open? He is either out of his mind or he is a great kid and I think I know which one he is,” Irish golfer turned US TV commentator David Feherty said earlier this week — and most observers are also inclined to settle on the latter.

As for the kid himself, McIlroy was happy to discuss Haiti, LeBron and the US Open during his pre-tournament press conference at Congressional Country Club, as well as addressing his final-round 81 at the Masters in April, when he blew the lead he had held for 63 holes with a triple-bogey seven at the 10th.