Monty: Rory Must Hit Many Shots Off 10th Tee To Purge Himself Of Demons That Would Have Plagued Monty
/Oliver Brown with Monty's
Read MoreWhen you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Arnie's Characterization Of Rory Snub Depends On Who You Read
/Simon Evans of Reuters with the story on Arnold Palmer's disappointment at Rory McIlroy passing on the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
"I'm disappointed that they are not here, no question about it," Palmer told reporters on Wednesday.
"I'm certainly not happy that those fellas chose not to come this year. We are doing everything we can to entice them to come and play."
And there was this dry humor from The King:
Q. Given your goals for this event, how disappointing is it not to have Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald in the field, and how hard did you try to persuade them to play?
ARNOLD PALMER: Well, yes, I'm disappointed that they are not here, no question about it. They are the top players on the TOUR right now in the positions that they are in, and I am disappointed.
I had a letter from Rory seeking my consultation and told me he wasn't coming. And of course that made me feel great. (Laughter) And if you believe that, I'll talk to you outside afterwards.
Anyway, back to the story that appeared on the Reuters website and at Sky Sports. Check out the different handling. First at Reuters.
And then Sky Sports:
Where's Marty Hackel When You Need Him? Rory Pocket Square Edition
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Shane Bacon shares Rory McIlroy's upbeat Tweets following the White House State Dinner and the reigning U.S. Open champion is looking dapper in a tux.
Now about that pocket square...what say you Marty Hackel?
Onion: "Rory McIlroy: 'If I Am The Most Exciting Thing That Could Happen In Golf, You Should Probably Stop Watching'"
/No story, just one of their fun headlines suggesting someone there is getting a big kick out of the Rory hype. Thanks to reader Tom for the tip.
Rory Can Do No Wrong: Holds Against Sharapova!
/Doug Ferguson mentioned the Madison Square Garden scene Monday night
Read MoreRory's Asking Price: $750,000
/Martin Blake reports that not only is he a nice guy, but Rory McIlroy's price to show up at a tournament where such enticements are allowed is far lower than you-know-who. IMG is exploring options to get McIlroy to Perth for October's new European Tour event there.
The $2 million Perth International at Lake Karrinyup from October 18-21 has emerged as the most likely tournament to draw the new world No. 1, since it is co-sanctioned by the European tour. Although his asking price is estimated to be at least $750,000, IMG, the new tournament's promoter, says it would love to have the Northern Irishman.
''We haven't had any discussions with him, but there's no tournament in the world [that] wouldn't love to have him,'' David Rollo, IMG's head of golf, said yesterday. ''It's difficult with scheduling, but we'd be stupid not to explore it.''
Luke's Out! World Swoons As IMG Algorithm Annoits Rory Top Golfer On Planet
/Okay, I get that Rory McIlroy won for the fifth time in his very young pro career, held off Tiger Woods shooting 62 in the Chosen One's adopted home state and in general, is just an awesome talent who will deservedly be a huge favorite to win the Masters.
Read MoreShark: Caroline Great For Rory Because She Is "Physically Strong"
/Brian Keogh, talks to Greg Norman about the benefits (but not the perils) of dating a high profile (and physically strong!?) tennis player.
Read MoreRory-Westwood Say Awkward Remarks Of Past Year Are Behind Them...Well Until Rory Added Another
/Rex Hoggard on Sunday's big WGC semifinal matchup between Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, former stablemates in Chubby Chandler's stable.
Read More"Rory rues 'stupid' sand error"
/An unbylined Irish Examiner story explains Rory McIlroy's Friday rules violation in Abu Dhab, brushing sand away from his line when he was off the 9th green.
Read MoreRory Shows Off Improved Course Management, Physique
/Lawrence Donegan points out that Rory McIlroy didn't hit the ball as well as playing partners Tiger Woods and Luke Donald, yet bested the two veterans by several shots.
Read MoreRory Honored By The Queen; Not By Old Mate Westwood
/After much soul-searching and long walks with her dogs to contemplay the New Year honors honours list, the Queen has approved an OBE for Darren Clarke and MBE for Rory McIlroy. If you followed Lee Westwood for your news, you'd only know Darren Clarke was awarded an MBE. Thank God for the BBC.
Read MoreBetting On Rory In '12
/
Brian Keogh posts some of the tantalizing and not-so-tantalizing Rory McIlroy wagers offered up by the betting houses, including just 10/1 odds to win the U.S. Open at Olympic Club even though it'll be an entirely different course (firmer, narrower, colder few driver holes) compared to Congressional (soft, wider, hot, lots of drivers).
Paddy Power also features a series of tempting golf bets for 2012, including its ‘Rory McIlroy Specials’.
For the majors, Paddypower.com rates McIlroy at 7/1 behing Tiger (5/1) for the Masters, 8/1 for the Open, 10/1 for the US Open and 12/1 for the US PGA.
Not offered are any Holly Sweeney related bets, but after reading Alana Fearon's latest story in the Mirror (thanks reader David), there may more drama to come.
The model is pulling out all the stops to make sure she doesn't bump into McIlroy and his new lover, Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, 21. She has even banned Rory, 22, from sending her presents or cards and got a pal to deliver presents to her dogs at the home the ex-lovers shared.
Rory: Masters Collapse Might Have Been Chubby's Undoing!?
/Brian Keogh, offering up highlights of a season-ending chat with Rory McIlroy, includes this from the lad about how the Masters Sunday collapse led to dramatic changes in his life.
Read More"Every move takes Rory McIlroy away from the 'normal guy' persona that is central to his appeal"
/Richard Gillis talks to the branding folks and seems to be suggesting that Rory McIlroy is showing signs of losing the "normal guy" persona that makes him so appealing.
There’s a conundrum at the heart of Brand Rory. We warm to him because he’s talented and normal. His values seem to be those we share ourselves. In short, we like him.
The problem is that famous people, even the nice ones, are not normal. It’s just not possible to earn tens of millions, be known around the world and live like the rest of us. We, the general public, won’t allow it.
Already, McIlroy has moved from his home in Holywood, Co Down, because the attention he was getting was too much. He split up with his childhood sweetheart and is going out with Caroline Wozniacki, the world’s number one tennis player. Every move takes him away from the “normal guy” persona that is central to his appeal.
The 24/7 news media has begun to look for any signs of petulance and will be quick to write stories when they perceive McIlroy is exhibiting brat-like tendencies. Note the reporting of his post-Open interview when he complained about the rain. Or his “Twitter spat” with commentator Jay Townsend.
I once asked Chubby Chandler about this potential conflict, and he said: “If we do it well, he’ll end up being Rory McIlroy – not a marketing property.”
It’s a job he didn’t get to finish.
