Golfer puts spotlight on Rosie and Gerry McIlroy’s sacrifices to support his dream in emotional victory speech
In a sport filled with pushy parents the McIlroys do things differently: Rory McIlroy had to push his parents to attend the scene of his greatest triumph.
Rosie and Gerry McIlroy feared their presence might jinx their son’s defence of the Masters, so they planned to steer clear of Augusta National.
They partly attributed his victory at the course last year – a dramatic moment in golfing history that secured a career grand slam – to their absence, which avoided distracting him, and planned to do the same last week.
Instead, the world’s No 2 persuaded them to travel from Northern Ireland to the US to witness what turned out to be another rollercoaster victory, climaxing in emotional family celebrations.
