Rory McIlroy is a two-time major winner, one of the 2012 Ryder Cup comeback kings, the boyfriend of tennis star – and babe – Caroline Wozniacki and the guy who bagged the inaugural Shanghai Masters and US$2 million in one weekend in 2011. He is also just 24 years old. We really should hate him but, annoyingly, he happens to be a top bloke…
So Rory, what is it like to win US$2 million in a weekend?
For me, playing golf has never been about the money. I fell in love with the game from a young age and my focus has always been on playing.
And Miss Wozniacki – many were initially skeptical about your relationship, but two-and-a-half years down the line and you guys are still going strong. How do the two of you make it work with two different international schedules?
It’s quite easy really. Once we know our respective schedules we can plan our weeks off together. Thankfully the golf and tennis tours sometimes overlap in the same cities, which allows us to spend time with each other while maintaining our practice preparations.
Ever practice together? Can you see a career in tennis after you hang up your clubs?
I have a hit with her, but I’d never try and play any games with her. I’d be useless. My tennis career is on hold for now!
So which of your biggest accomplishments – winning the US Open, the PGA Championship, the Race to Dubai, simultaneously topping the money lists on the European and American tours, becoming World Number One (we’re getting a little green here…) – would you rank as your proudest moment?
They are all different but all important milestones in my career. Winning my first major was such a special moment for me and perhaps my proudest achievement.
Where does an event like the Ryder Cup, and the momentous comeback the European team staged at Medinah last year, rank among your career highlights?
It was one of the best sporting moments I have ever witnessed and I feel privileged to have been a part of the team. It will certainly rank high on my list of career highlights, especially given my erratic arrival to the Sunday singles…
Yeah, what happened there?!
I was watching a television program that displayed my singles tee time in Eastern Time. Medinah is located in the Central Time Zone, though – I was scheduled to tee off at 11.25, not 12.25. I was walking out of my hotel room when I received a phone call that I was set to tee off in 25 minutes. A police escort got me to the course with 11 minutes to spare!
Only one time zone in China, you should be okay here. Shanghai has been good to you over the years. Have you been good to Shanghai?
Shanghai is a special place and like no other in the world. It has a great city buzz with an amazing nightlife. I will spend two weeks in Shanghai this time so hopefully will get to experience many of the attractions the city has to offer.
Two weeks? Bonza! You’ve been very successful at Lake Malaren, winning in 2011 and runner-up last year, what do you like about the course?
Yes, Lake Malaren has been good to me in the past! It’s a course that suits my game; rewards length off the tee and the par 5s offer plenty of chances. The condition of the course is always pristine and a welcome challenge for all golfers. The facilities at Lake Malaren are outstanding and having the hotel onsite makes it a seamless week.
Nice plug, you old pro you. So how do you cope with the jet-set lifestyle, playing on different tours and across continents? Glamorous or exhausting?
Playing both tours is definitely a challenge but something I am more accustomed to after the past few years. The secret for me is to plan a schedule that caters for the best tournaments across both tours but allows me sufficient time in between to rest. I also enjoy the travel and view a plane journey as an ideal opportunity to catch up on some reading or watch a movie.
Favorite movie?
The Dark Knight.
You dark horse. Dream round of golf – who are you with?
My father, because he introduced me to the game and helped me to be the person that I am today. Rafa Nadal, because I admire him as a person and for what he has achieved in tennis. And Ben Hogan, because he is a legend of golf that achieved so much and inspired so many who play the game today.
And which course would you guys play on?
That would have to be Augusta National. I grew up watching the Masters every year on TV and now competing on the course every April is such a special experience for me.
Who was your golfing idol growing up?
It was Tiger Woods. Obviously there have been so many great players before Tiger, but I never got to see them play when I was a child. I witnessed Tiger win his first major and every one after, which was a huge inspiration for me.
Earlier in the year you talked about your swing not being right. Do you feel you have corrected that now, or is it still in need of tweaking?
I feel great about my game at the moment and the practice over the past number of months has proved beneficial. One thing for sure is that a golf swing always requires attention and tweaking. Finding the best structure to prepare for each tournament is the key to playing consistent golf.
Talking of training techniques, what is this we hear about you sleeping with your golf club when you were 8?
I was trying to change my grip and thought the best way was to grip the club the new way in bed and try and fall asleep, so that when I woke up in the morning it wouldn’t feel quite as unnatural.
Seems to have worked out okay for you, although 2013 has been a tough year, and less successful than 2012. Is the pressure that comes with underperforming harder to deal with than the pressure that comes with people expecting you to win when you’re at the top of your game?
The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself. Although 2013 to date has not offered the success of 2012, it has been a great learning experience that will stand to serve me for the rest of my career. I like to view each year as a single hole in a round of golf. Each hole will consist of some good shots and some not so good, but it is the complete round that will determine how successful a round I have had. The great thing about golf is that next week is always a new opportunity to win!
BATTLE ROYALE
Rory McIlroy is going head to head with the almighty Tiger Woods, in an exhibition match being held in Hainan Island’s capital, Haikou. It’s the frst time both players will be visiting Hainan, where they’ll be playing 18 holes at the Mission Hills Resort’s par-73 course. The pair have played one another before in an exhibition match in China, which took place last year in Zhengzhou. On that occasion, McIlroy edged out Woods by a single stroke, and Woods has already stated how keenly he wants to come away as top dog this time around.
// The exhibition match is taking place on Oct 28. Mission Hills Resort, No. 1 Mission Hills Boulevard, Haikou, Hainan 海南省海口市观澜湖大道1号 (0898-6868 3888)
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