Rory's Glory by Justin Doyle Read Free Book Online

real life than it is in video games, too (Tip: neither one is recommended). Now, unlike the rest of us, McIlroy can actually play as himself in the game without having to create a slightly more muscular, slightly more handsome version of ourselves. Even so, no matter how graphically accurate the simulation may be, he’s not even close to experiencing the real thing - not unless he’s got a constant loop of goofballs yelling ‘Get in the hole!’ running on his iPod as he plays.’
    To many, it is euphemistically referred to as ‘The Island Green’. Rory was to get his very first taste of it and it would not be pleasant on his palate. He was not spared or shown any mercy.
    Even though he was -2, he really struggled through his round which included three bogeys. Then splash! Rory took a triple-bogey six at the 137-yard beast! Karl MacGinty of the Irish Independent described Rory’s tee shot:
    The Holywood youngster’s jaw dropped in astonishment after his tee shot, hit with a wedge, flew right over the island green and disappeared into the dark green water. McIlroy turned and looked at his caddie, JP Fitzgerald, in disbelief. ‘Did you ever see a wedge fly 150 yards,’ he was still asking as he left the recorder’s hut after signing for a first round 74.
    This is what Rory felt about his first ever dice with the dreaded 17 th of Sawgrass:
    It was 148 yards to the pin today. I hit a wedge and just flew the lot. I don’t know if I got a gust or something. I wasn’t going big with my third shot from the drop zone. I spun it back to the front and took three to get down.
    Rory was two under coming to that 17 th hole. Less than half an hour later, he finished his round +2. The next day, Rory missed the cut. This time he got through it unscathed but the rest of his round was not so good.
    He signed for a +5, 77 in a round that included 5 bogeys and a double bogey seven at the par-five 9 th hole. The course had left a bitter taste in Rory’s mouth. Without any question, it was the dreaded 17 th which caused all the problems to begin with and sent Rory home.’
    Things did not get any better in 2012 as Rory missed a second succesive cut at the Players Championship. He may have mastered it in its ‘virtual’ format on screen, but the ‘live’ fresh air version is something that Rory continues to struggle with.

Chapter 4
Made in the USPGA
    T he missed cut at the 2012 Players Championship followed on from Rory popping back across the Atlantic to play the BMW at Wentworth, where he also missed the cut with rounds of 74 and 79.
    It set in motion a miserable sequence of events and ‘M/C’s. Three weeks after Sawgrass, he missed another cut on the US Tour before finishing seventh in the St Jude Classic. He may have been buoyed by that but it was only a temporary respite, as worse was to follow.
    Rory teed off at the Olympic Club in San Francisco on 14 June in defence of his US Open crown in a very good frame of mind thanks to St Jude. But it was to be a lost cause. He was all at sea in a first round horror 77.
    He improved marginally the next day by shooting 73 but it was too little, too late. Rory would not be defending his crown over the weekend. For a holder of a major, that was somewhat embarrassing. Defending champions do their utmost to play the full event.
    Two weeks later, girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki joined Rory for the Irish Open. Amid all the frustration, Rory’s smiles shone again with the help and urgings of a partisan home crowd.
    Rounds of 70, 69 qualified him for the weekend and although he hit a disappointing 71 on moving day, a magnificent -5, 67 on Sunday shot him up to a tie for 10 th place. It was just the tonic he needed for the British Open, three weeks later.
    Another great fillip was the addition of Michael Bannon to Rory’s team. Bannon had coached Rory since he was a boy but was now only occasionally helping out. But an SOS