McIlroy Lends Weight To The Australian Open Being Among Gloval Events That Need To Be ‘Elevated’.

8 months ago by Comments Off on McIlroy Lends Weight To The Australian Open Being Among Gloval Events That Need To Be ‘Elevated’.

Australia will always have a warm place in the heart of four-time major winning Rory McIlroy.

It was late 2013 when McIlroy teed-up in the Australian Open at the Royal Sydney club in Sydney.

McIlroy touched down in Australia having then won nine times in his pro career, including also having won at least one tournament a year since his breakthough victory at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic.

However he had not won anywhere since capturing the 2012 DP World Tour season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

McIlroy made no point about this aspect of his career in teeing-up along the Sydney Harbour shoreline however when he stood on the 72nd tee that Sunday afternoon 1st December, 2013 he trailed one shot behind playing partner and overwhelming home favourite Adam Scott.

Scott was the reigning Masters Champion having become earlier that year April the first Australian to be fitted with an Augusta National members green jacket. It was a win that finished around 9amish Monday morning in eastern states of Australia, so much so it brought the country to a virtual standstill.

As both players walked up the final fairway, and with the towering clubhouse at the back of the green jam-packed with spectators, Scott’s hope of capturing a first Australian Open title sunk when he played a poor and long approach shot while McIlroy was in close to at least to force a play-off.

Then in a two-shot turnaround in McIlroy’s victory favour, Scott posted a horrid bogey ‘5’ while McIlroy shocked Australian golf fans in birdieing the hole for a ‘3’ to win by a shot at 18-under and relegate Scott to runner-up at 17-under.

The win guaranteed the 2013 victory he sought and with Australia finding that special place that will forever remain in the Northern Irishman’s heart.

So, it came as no surprise when the now 42-time winning McIlroy should single out the Australia Open when asked ahead of this week’s Players Championship his thoughts on reunifying the men’s pro golf is that the best players on both sides of the current divide need to be seen playing more together.

“Yeah, I think there’s an opportunity for it to be worldwide. Yeah, I feel like golf isn’t just played in America. It didn’t start in America. It’s played in a lot of other places in the world”, he said.

“Look, the main source of capital for professional golf is in America, so the reason that tournaments are primarily and the bigger tournaments are primarily here is because of corporate America and the dollars that it brings into the game to fund some of the biggest championships in the world.

“But I think there is an opportunity to have some of the bigger tournaments outside of America. Like I’ve always been a worldwide player. I play all around the world. I start my year in the Middle East. I come over here. I go to the UK. After the FedExCup Playoffs I go back to Europe and play four or five events.

“Yeah there’s an opportunity. I think we need bigger events in Australia. I think the Australian Open needs to be put up and sort of held to a higher — the Australian Open was always a very big tournament back in the day, and I think that could be one that could be elevated along with some others.

“But yeah, I think there’s certainly an opportunity there to be a little more global and worldwide”.

Well said, Rors!



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