Before we get to the poor folks of Holywood having to fend off some of America's top golf writers making the pilgrimage to Rory McIlroy's hometown, a few stories about the reigning U.S. Open champion.
According to Paul Brennan, Rory tuned up with nine holes (carrying his bag!) at Royal County Down on Monday. He also tweeted photos here and here.
In a lengthy front page of the New York Times Sports Monday section, Niall Stanage takes on Rory's ambivalent stance on religion and politics and unlike some of the other stories along these lines, is detecting that this is a compliment to the Rory generation's wisdom and tolerance.
McDowell was raised as a Protestant, a religious identity that he wears with just as little ostentation as McIlroy’s Catholicism. But McIlroy is on his way to becoming a global superstar, which makes his case all the more intriguing.
“Isn’t it funny?” McGuigan said, reflecting upon the focus on religion. “People our age always want to find that out. It’s the same way that there used to be all that stuff about ‘How do you spell your surname?’ or ‘What newspaper do you read?’ That is going to take time to eradicate.”
He’s right — for our generation. For those who are younger, the change is already under way. John Stevenson was McIlroy’s principal at his high school, Sullivan Upper, just outside Belfast. There, as well as witnessing the teenage golf prodigy demolishing much older, bigger boys in inter-school games, he also saw what he terms “the first post-Troubles generation” come to maturity.
Lawrence Donegan profiles Chubby Chandler, who talks about the huge offers Rory is getting, with this beautiful quote:
"For instance, I called Rory the other day about a deal he had been offered. It is a very good deal, I told him, but I have no idea if it's for the right amount of money because I spoke to someone else and they offered more. So you are just feeling your way out there. The thing is if we do deals that are sympathetic to Rory then I know we won't go far wrong. He is 22, the lad, and we have got to make sure he isn't a basket case by the time he is 25."
At 5/9, 161, ESPN's Sports Science declares Rory gets all his power from his 72 degrees per second hip rotation. I think it's the driver head the size of a cantaloupe and weighing just a wee bit more than a mouse turd. But that's me.
As for the folks in Holywood, Mark Cannizzaro tries to better understand where Rory's humility comes from.
McIlroy, who now owns a spectacular house about 20 minutes away from Holywood with four par-3s, a driving range, putting greens, a soccer pitch and two full-time greenskeepers to tend to it all, has drawn from everyone around him.
“Money doesn’t matter to Rory,” Gerry McIlroy said. “He doesn’t change, and I’ll tell you why. When he was growing up, we used to say to him, ‘The only way to go through life is to be nice. It doesn’t cost you any money to be nice.’ ”
Gene Wojciechowski also checked out the town and writes about the impact Rory has had on Holywood.
"Oh, he's put Holywood on the map," says Lorna Alexander, a McIlroy family friend whose haircutting shop features an autographed photo of Rory. "It's become a very special wee town."
McIlroy could live anywhere. He has the money: $5.2 million earned on the PGA Tour, another 8 million-plus pounds earned on the European Tour, endorsement money out the wazoo. In fact, Oakley just unveiled its very own Rory golf clothing collection, complete with a pre-announced Open Championship ensemble for his Thursday-Sunday play -- just like his boyhood golf hero Tiger Woods used to do with Nike.
But when he was done with the post-U.S. Open news conferences, the photo shoots, the video shoots, the endorsement obligations in London and the Royal Box appearance at Wimbledon to watch buddy Rafael Nadal, McIlroy returned to the place he knows best and trusts most: Holywood.
